Muscat – Heavy rains and flash floods that struck several parts of the sultanate have claimed the lives of ten people, including five children, according to the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA). Rescue teams also managed to save 29 people in a series of emergency operations carried out over the past three days.

On Monday, a seven-year-old child died after drowning in a water pool in the Sumhan Al Junubiya area of Barka.

On Sunday, March 22, rescue teams from the CDAA in South Batinah responded to the collapse of an abandoned mud-brick building in the wilayat of Rustaq that had trapped several children. The incident resulted in the deaths of four children, while three others sustained critical injuries and were transferred to hospital for treatment.

In another incident in the wilayat of Barka on Sunday, a vehicle carrying ten people was swept away by flash floods. Rescue teams managed to save seven people, while three people were found dead after intensive search operations over two days.

A day earlier, on March 21, in Wadi Al Maawil in South Batinah, rescue teams responded after three vehicles were swept away by flash floods. One person was rescued, while two others were found dead.

Rescue teams responded to several flood-related incidents across the country on Saturday. In Musannah, a person trapped inside a vehicle in a wadi was rescued in good health with the assistance of the Royal Oman Police Air Wing.

In Sur, in South Sharqiyah governorate, four citizens were rescued after rising floodwaters trapped them inside their home. All were reported to be in good health.

In Muscat Governorate, water rescue teams saved a person whose vehicle was stranded in a wadi in Seeb. Rescue teams also evacuated eight women and 12 children from a house in Mawaleh after floodwaters entered the area. All were reported safe.

In Mabelah South in Seeb, rescue teams evacuated 13 people who were trapped inside their home due to rising floodwaters, while two individuals were rescued after their vehicle got stuck in floodwaters in Seeb.

Commenting on the situation, Col Zayed bin Hamad Al Junaibi, Head of the National Committee for Emergency Management (NCEM), said the authorities are closely monitoring weather developments.

“We are in continuous coordination with the National Early Warning Centre to track weather conditions, while NCEM and its affiliated sectors and subcommittees have been activated,” he said.

He added that the essential services sector has restored most electricity and telecommunications services in Muscat and South Batinah governorates after outages caused by the severe weather, with work continuing to restore services in the remaining affected areas.

The Relief and Shelter Sector announced on Monday that 161 shelter centres have been designated across Oman, including 53 centres that are fully equipped to receive evacuees.

As part of precautionary measures, one shelter centre has been activated at Al Gaidhranah Basic Education School in Adam, Dakhliyah. The centre is currently hosting 13 families, comprising 106 individuals.

Authorities said the shelters form part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of residents and provide temporary accommodation when necessary.