Three killed, flights delayed as Cyclone Shaheen hits Oman

Strong waves hit the shore as Cyclone Shaheen makes landfall in Muscat Oman, Oct. 2, 2021. The picture was taken on Oct. 2, 2021. (REUTERS)

DUBAI — Tropical Cyclone Shaheen hit land in Oman on Sunday having already killed at least three people, its high winds prompting evacuations from coastal areas and delaying flights to and from the capital, Muscat.

A child who had been swept away by water was found dead, the state news agency said, and another person was missing. Two Asian workers were killed when a hill collapsed on their housing area in an industrial zone, the state news agency reported.

The storm was carrying winds of 120 kph (75 mph) and throwing up waves of up to 10 meters (32 feet), Omani authorities said.

Video footage from local broadcasters showed vehicles submerged as people tried to make their way through muddy brown floodwater.

Part of the eyewall of the storm, where the most severe weather occurs, had entered Al Batinah South governorate, the state news agency said. The center of the storm was expected to cross between Al Musanaa and Al Suwaiq in the evening.

The national emergency committee said the power supply would be cut in al-Qurm, east of the capital, to avoid accidents. More than 2,700 people were put up in emergency shelters.

Most of the oil-exporting country’s five million people live in and around Muscat. Roads in the capital would be open only to vehicles on emergency and humanitarian journeys until the storm dies down, authorities said.

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said precautionary measures were being taken. Police officials were moving to ensure safety by conducting security patrols near beaches and valleys where torrential rains were expected.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authorities called for caution in several regions from Monday to Friday in expectation of heavy winds and possible flooding, the state news agency reported.

ATM