Six dead in rain-related incidents in Oman

Muscat: Four Emirati nationals were killed in a road accident in Mareer Al Darmaka area of the wilayat of Shinas in the Sultanate of Oman, yesterday morning. The accident took place when their vehicle skidded off the slippery road and overturned. Two women travelling in the vehicle sustained severe injuries and were admitted to Sohar hospital for treatment, a Royal Oman Police (ROP) spokesperson said. The six occupants were travelling to Sohar from Khutmat Melah. The driver reportedly over-speeding, lost control of the vehicle due to slippery road caused by overnight rains. The vehicle veered off the road rolling over a few times before coming to a halt. While three persons died on the spot, another died on way to Sohar hospital, the ROP official said. The victims were from Al Fujairah in the UAE. Meanwhile, a person lost his life in another rain-related incident in the wilayat of Rustaq. His vehicle too skidded off the slippery road and rolled over several times leading to his death. Washed away An Omani girl was reportedly washed away in the strong currents in Al Mahmoom wadi in the wilayat of Saham on Friday. The vehicle she was travelling in was washed away. Civil Defence personnel with the help of Al Guwaisah residents rescued four members of the family from the vehicle but could not save the girl. Her body was finally located after three hours of hectic search three kilometres away from the accident site. Several houses at Al Guwaisah village were flooded due to heavy rains that lashed the area for more than eight hours, residents told Times of Oman. Rains also caused heavy loss of property and many villages in Saham remained without power for long hours. Five vehicles were also washed away in wadis in the Sultanate but no loss of life was reported in these incidents. Some shop owners of Muttrah Souq also complained of loss of property due to flooding caused by the wadis of Muttrah. Also, many patients of Al Nahda Hospital were shifted to the nearby hospitals in the Muscat governorate as a precautionary measure as the hospital premises was inundated with rainwater. Most parts of Muscat and other regions remained cloudy during the day time on Friday and received moderate to heavy rain during the evening. Forecast The MET department said, "The sky will remain partly cloudy over the governorates of Muscat, Musandam, north and south Al Batinah, north and south Al Sharqiya, Al Buraimi, Al Dhahira and Al Dakhliah with chances of rain and thundershowers in the next 48 hours." Clear to partly cloudy skies can be expected in the rest of the Sultanate, the MET department added. (Times of Oman)