Tropical Cyclone Shaheen Reaches 150 Kilometers Per Hour, Hits Oman, Three Killed

Illustration of the impact of Cyclone Gonu on Qurum Beach, Qatar. (Wikimedia Commons/Unflavored)

JAKARTA - At least three people died when Tropical Cyclone Shaheen hit Oman on Sunday, followed by strong winds and torrential rains that caused flooding, evacuations of coastal residents, and flights from the capital Muscat were postponed.

As the typhoon approached, a child who was swept away by water was found dead, the state news agency said, and one other person was missing. Two Asian workers were killed when a hill collapsed in their residential area in an industrial zone, the state news agency reported.

As it crossed land, the typhoon brought winds of between 120 and 150 km per hour (75-93 mph), Omani authorities said. Causing tidal waves as high as 10 meters.

Video footage from the Omani broadcaster showed the vehicle submerged as people tried to pass through the muddy brown flood water. Heavy rainfall of up to 500 cm (20 inches) is expected in some areas, potentially causing flash flooding.

Typhoons continued to lose strength once they stopped traveling over ocean waters and Shaheen was downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting land, the local meteorological service said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the national emergency committee said power supplies would be cut off in al-Qurm, east of the capital, to avoid accidents with more than 2,700 people placed in emergency shelters.

Most of the oil-exporting nation's five million people live in and around Muscat. Authorities said roads in the capital would only be opened to vehicles on emergency and humanitarian trips until the storm subsided.

Separately, a wooden boat sank in Sultan Qaboos Harbor and its crew was rescued, the National Committee for Emergency Management said in a tweet.

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities say precautions are being taken. Police officers are moving to ensure safety by conducting security patrols near the coast and valleys where heavy rains are expected.

Government and private-sector employees in the town of Al Ain on the border with Oman have been urged to work remotely on Monday. Authorities asked residents to avoid leaving their homes except for emergencies, the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office said.

"Authorities are working proactively around the clock to evaluate housing units in areas thought to be affected and transport families to safe locations until it is safe to return," the news agency said.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense authorities called for caution in some areas from Monday to Friday with high winds and possible flooding forecast, the state news agency reported.