Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) on Saturday rescued a European from the foothills of Hajr mountain range in South Batinah, according to the police on Sunday.
A spokesman for the ROP said that three Europeans – a Swedish and a two Portuguese - had gone to Wadi Mistal, about 125km north of Muscat, on a trekking trip when the Swedish man broke his leg at the foothills of the mountain range near Wadi Mistal, known for its picturesque locale and variety of flowers.
“A helicopter from ROP’s aviation wing was dispatched to airlift the stranded tourist,” he said, adding that the injured trekker was then taken straight to Khoula Hospital in Muscat where he is recuperating.
Meanwhile, the ROP on Sunday deported 397 infiltrators by boat from Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat.
“The deportees were caught while trying to enter Oman illegally,” said Captain Nasser Bin Abdul Rahman Al Abri, who heads the department in charge of deporting illegal residents.
He said that due judicial process was followed, including coordination with the embassies concerned in Muscat before deporting the infiltrators.
The ROP had intensified patrols along the coast to foil any attempt to enter illegally, he added.
The long Omani coast is often exploited by human traffickers to drop off infiltrators but in recent years strict vigil by the ROP Coast Guards has considerably brought down incidents of infiltration.
The ROP also rewards residents along the coast for informing police about infiltrators.
