• Flooding has hit southern Oman, including the city of Salalah and the nearby towns of Mirbat, Taqa, Rakhyut and Dhalkut. All photos: Oman News Agency
    Flooding has hit southern Oman, including the city of Salalah and the nearby towns of Mirbat, Taqa, Rakhyut and Dhalkut. All photos: Oman News Agency
  • Flooding along a motorway
    Flooding along a motorway
  • Flood waters flow alongside a motorway
    Flood waters flow alongside a motorway
  • Thunderstorms had been expected during the Eid Al Adha holidays, according to Oman's Civil Aviation Authority
    Thunderstorms had been expected during the Eid Al Adha holidays, according to Oman's Civil Aviation Authority
  • Low cloud hangs over a wadi. Officials said more rain is expected in some areas
    Low cloud hangs over a wadi. Officials said more rain is expected in some areas
  • Heavy rain falls in Salalah, the capital of the southern Dhofar province
    Heavy rain falls in Salalah, the capital of the southern Dhofar province
  • Low cloud hangs over a town
    Low cloud hangs over a town
  • Officials said that lives could be lost if motorists attempted to drive across flooded wadis
    Officials said that lives could be lost if motorists attempted to drive across flooded wadis
  • Waterfalls outside Salalah after heavy thunderstorms
    Waterfalls outside Salalah after heavy thunderstorms

Oman death toll rises to 11 as bad weather persists


Mona Farag
  • English
  • Arabic

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) continued their search on Tuesday for three people who were swept into the sea on Sunday.

Eleven deaths were caused by heavy rains, rapid waters in the wadis, and high waves on beaches across Oman during Eid Al Adha holidays, authorities said.

A family of eight Asians fell into the sea at Mughsail Beach in Dhofar governate, Oman’s Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) said on Sunday.

Three were quickly rescued. Two members, one of whom was a child, were found dead by the CDAA on Tuesday.

The ROP and CDAA's search and rescue teams, in cooperation with the military and security agencies, continue to search for the three missing persons.

The latest weather forecasts from the Omani News agency said a tropical depression will form in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India on Friday.

The CDAA said two people drowned at Wadi Darbat in Dhofar and their bodies were recovered by search teams.

In Sohar, two people were killed when their vehicle was swept away.

Two people drowned in a valley in the wilayat of Quriyat.

At Wadi Al Hoqain in Rustaq a 17-year-old was killed, while six children were caught at Wadi Andam in Al Mudhaibi. Five were rescued and one died.

Three children were swept away at Wadi Ibri, where rescuers recovered two survivors and one dead.

The CDAA on Sunday said it was cutting access to the sites because people were not following warnings to stay away from flooded wadis and coastal areas.

The authority also told residents not to swim at non-designated sites, to follow the instructions and to keep an eye on their children.

ROP announced the closure of the roads leading to Wadi Darbat, Ain Athum and Ain Jerzeez following heavy rains and swift currents at wadis in Dhofar governorate.

  • Moderate to heavy rain resulted in a number of valleys and reefs across Oman being flooded. Photo: Oman News Agency
    Moderate to heavy rain resulted in a number of valleys and reefs across Oman being flooded. Photo: Oman News Agency
  • Rain that lashed mountain villages flooded the valley below and flowed into Wadi Gul Dam in Al Dakhiliyah province. Photo: Oman News Agency
    Rain that lashed mountain villages flooded the valley below and flowed into Wadi Gul Dam in Al Dakhiliyah province. Photo: Oman News Agency
  • Civil defence workers rescued three people after their vehicle was stranded in a flooded wadi. Photo: Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority
    Civil defence workers rescued three people after their vehicle was stranded in a flooded wadi. Photo: Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority
  • One Asian died in a flooded valley Jebel Shams in the sultanate's north. Photo: Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority
    One Asian died in a flooded valley Jebel Shams in the sultanate's north. Photo: Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority
  • A severe weather warning was issued on Thursday, with a forecast for 30 millimetres to 80mm of rain in a 24 hour period. Photo: Oman News Agency
    A severe weather warning was issued on Thursday, with a forecast for 30 millimetres to 80mm of rain in a 24 hour period. Photo: Oman News Agency
  • Police have warned people to stay away from wadis during the storms, which can fill up fast and without warning. Photo: Oman News Agency
    Police have warned people to stay away from wadis during the storms, which can fill up fast and without warning. Photo: Oman News Agency
  • Civil defence workers prepare to rescue four people, including children, at a house surrounded by rising floodwaters near Jebel Shams. Photo: Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority
    Civil defence workers prepare to rescue four people, including children, at a house surrounded by rising floodwaters near Jebel Shams. Photo: Oman Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world

New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.

The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.

Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.

“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.

"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."

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If you go...

Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.

Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.

States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press

Autumn international scores

Saturday, November 24

Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia

'Laal Kaptaan'

Director: Navdeep Singh

Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain

Rating: 2/5

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

One in nine do not have enough to eat

Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.

One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.

The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.

Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.

It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.

On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.

Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.

 

Updated: July 13, 2022, 1:27 PM