At least 9 dead as Cyclone Shaheen lashes Oman, Iran

Muscat: Cyclone Shaheen lashed parts of coastlines of Oman and Iran on Sunday, taking at least nine lives, Agence France-Presse reported.

Two people died in a landslide and a child in flash flooding in Oman. The country's National Committee for Emergency Management (NCEM) informed that rescue teams pulled the bodies of two Asian workers out in the Rusayl industrial area of Muscat province. One person was reported missing in the flash floods here.

Vehicles were tyre-deep in water, and streets were semi-deserted. Flights were delayed or cancelled as the wind reached the speed of 120 km per hour along Oman's coast. It later downgraded to a tropical storm, NCEM said.

Oman declared a two-day national holiday on Sunday and Monday, shuttering schools.

Oman was hit by heavy rains, hail and strong winds in July. In May 2018, Cyclone Mekunu had hit southern Oman and the Yemeni island of Socotra, killing at least 11 people.

Meanwhile, in Iran, six people were killed in Chabahar port in Sistan-Baluchestan province. Provincial governor Hossein Modarres-Khiabani informed that Infrastructure, including electrical facilities and roads, was damaged. He said that the eye of the storm was located 220km off the coast of the province. People were urged to avoid low-lying areas and valleys.

UAE also alerted people to avoid beaches and low-lying areas. It suspended all construction works in Al-Ain, bordering Oman, and schools were instructed to close on Monday and Tuesday.