Four people have died so far in Oman since Cyclone Mekunu made landfall on Friday. Two of the deaths took place on Saturday, when the Salalah city received 278.2 mm rain in a single day, AP reported. The rainfall was three times Salalah’s annual rainfall, submerging the city and damaging roads, trees and power supply.
In Yemen, two bodies were recovered from the island of Socotra on Saturday, taking the toll to seven. More than 30 people, including Indians, are missing, officials said. Over 230 families have been relocated to better buildings.
At least five people, including an Indian, were killed and nearly 40 were reported missing on Socotra on Friday. Yemen had declared a state of emergency on Thursday for the island.
The storm had winds of 170km-180 km per hour with gusts up to 200 km per hour on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department said, as it called the cyclone “extremely severe”.
Salalah’s airport opened on Sunday after being closed for three days. The city’s port remains closed.
Those who were killed in Oman included a 12-year-old girl who was hit on the head by a door flung open by the wind. A migrant labourer died in a flooded valley and a local died when his vehicle was swept away in the water. A fourth death was announced early on Sunday.
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