Muscat: One person died and more than a dozen were injured, including security personal, when protests in Oman's port town of Sohar turned violent, according to witnesses.
A medical personal from Sohar confirmed that one person had died after security agencies had to use force, including teargas shells, to quell violent mob that has completely blocked the Globe Roundabout.
A tweep from Sohar, Maitham Musawi, who said he is medical student claimed that he saw people with gun shot wounds.
He tweeted: "CONFIRMED: 12 injured and 1 died in Sohar hospital most of them from gunshot wounds, 2 r in surgery."
He also tweeted that protesters surrounded the police station in Sohar demanding the release of protesters. Referring to protesters, he wrote "They burned a gas truck in protest near the police station! That's when the shooting started."
Another medic told Gulf News that people were minor injury were treated at the old hospital, which was situated close to the block where protesters had gathered but people with more serious injuries were taken to the new hospital.
According to another Sohar resident, the commercial movement between Dubai and Muscat had come to a complete halt as trucks were stuck on either sides of the roundabout which was taken over by the squatting protesters.
The Indian School pupils, getting ready for their 12th Board examinations starting from Tuesday, are a worried lot. "The area of the school is free of any trouble but to commute to the school could become difficult if the current situation continues," he said.
A large number of pupils from nearby towns also go to Indian School Sohar and for those attending the board exams the current situation could be a big worry.
There has been no official communication on the violence or use of force.
