Floods in Muscat due to Tropical Storm Shaheen
At least nine people were killed in Oman and Iran on Sunday as tropical cyclone Shaheen hit parts of their coasts, authorities said.
Officials in Oman said that two people were killed in a landslide and a child in flash floods.
The National Committee for Emergency Management in the Sultanate of Oman said that rescue teams had recovered the bodies of two Asian workers from their home that was hit by a landslide in the Rusayl Industrial Area in Muscat Governorate.
She added that the child died and another person was missing in flash floods in the Capital Governorate.
Flights have been suspended and schools closed as the storm, with winds of up to 139 kilometers per hour, was scheduled to cross Oman's northern coast in the evening.
In the capital, Muscat, cars were full of tires in the water and the streets deserted.
It is worth mentioning that six people were killed by sea in Iran in the port of Chabahar in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, according to the deputy speaker of parliament, Ali Nikzad.
"Infrastructure was damaged, including electrical installations and roads," provincial governor Hossein Modres Khayabani told the official IRNA news agency.
He said that the center of the storm was 220 kilometers off the coast of the province.
The airport said that some flights to and from Muscat International Airport have been suspended "to avoid any risks", while the Civil Aviation Authority urged people to avoid low-lying areas and valleys.
The official Oman News Agency said the Sultanate of Oman declared Sunday and Monday a two-day national holiday and closed schools "due to the bad weather conditions".
As the UAE was also preparing for the potential impact of Cyclone Shaheen, emergency authorities urged people to avoid beaches and low-lying areas.
"We would like to assure everyone that the relevant authorities are on high alert and ready to deal with any upcoming tropical situation," the National Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said on Saturday.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office said that all construction work has stopped in Al Ain until Tuesday, while children will study remotely on Monday and Tuesday.
In July, northern Oman experienced heavy rain, hail and strong winds.
In May 2018, Cyclone Mekunu hit southern Oman and the Yemeni island of Socotra, killing at least 11 people.
Oman, which has a population of about 4.6 million, reopened its doors to foreign tourists last month after a Covid-imposed lockdown.
The sultanate had been dependent on tourism to boost its faltering economy, but the actual collapse of international leisure travel hampered those plans.