Saturday, November 02, 2024 | Rabi' ath-thani 29, 1446 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

12 dead, including 9 students, in flash floods

Weather condition to prevail today in most governorates
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Authorities have recorded 12 deaths, including two citizens and nine students as their vehicles were washed away in a wadi in Samad al Shaan, in addition to an expatriate.


The search is still on for five others, including students, in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi.


Earlier, police aviation carried out an operation to rescue two people after a vehicle carrying a group of students drifted in a flowing wadi in Samad Al Shaan. The other missing students were rescued and transferred to Ibra Referral Hospital.


As several governorates witnessed torrential rains on Sunday morning, there were few instances of school buses with students getting stranded in flowing water or flash floods.


The rescue teams of the Civil Defence and Ambulance Department Authority (CDAA) in Al Sharqiyah North Governorate rescued 27 people after a school bus got stuck in a wadi in the Wilayat of Ibra.


In a separate incident, 21 students were rescued after their school bus got stuck in flowing waters in the Wilayat of Nizwa.


The Rawdha School building in Al Mudhaibi was inundated with rainwater as Wadi Samad al Shan was flowing at dangerous levels. Several people have been stranded inside the school, while vehicles in the parking lot drifted away.


12 dead, including 9 students, in flash floods
12 dead, including 9 students, in flash floods


Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that most governorates in the Sultanate of Oman are likely to experience rainfall due to the impact of the current weather condition.


Nasser bin Said al Ismaili, Acting Director of the Weather Forecast Department and the Early Warning System at the CAA, said that rains will cover the governorates of Al Sharqiyah North, Al Sharqiyah South, Al Dakhiliyah, Muscat, Al Batinah South and Al Batinah North.


He added that expected rains would range from 30 mm to 120 mm in most governorates, and that the rains are likely to be heavy, accompanied by thunders, active downward winds and hailstones.


Al Ismaili said that rains are expected in the governorates of Musandam, Al Buraimi, Al Batinah South, Al Batinah North, Al Dhahirah, Al Dakhiliyah, Muscat, Al Sharqiyah South and Al Sharqiyah North, in addition to the northern parts of Al Wusta Governorate.


He added that the weather condition will be begin to subside and later dissipate between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.


12 dead, including 9 students, in flash floods
12 dead, including 9 students, in flash floods


Al Ismaili said that, earlier in the day on Sunday, the CAA broadcast message via cell phones to alert members of the public about the weather condition. The messages, sent in various languages, gave the names of the areas that were scheduled to receive heavy rains. He added that, whenever deemed necessary, such messages will be broadcast any time to spread public awareness about the weather condition.


Al Ismaili advised members of the public to be more careful during rainfall.


"People should avoid crossing wadis or staying in low-lying areas or venturing out into the sea due to the fact that the persistent winds might cause sea waves to rise," he said. Al Ismaili also stressed the need to follow up weather alerts issued from time to time by the CAA.


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