Muscat: Two rain-related deaths have been reported in Oman as tropical cyclone Phet weakened.
An Omani citizen drowned when he tried to cross a flooded wadi, said Lieutenant-General Malik Bin Suleiman Al Ma'amari, Inspector General of Police and Customs Chairman of the National Civil Defence.
An Asian died in Quriyat, on the eastern side of Muscat, when he was electrocuted in surging wadi waters.
The top Omani police officer said the strong winds blew at a speed of 155km per hour, uprooting electricity poles in the coastal areas of the eastern region. "Out efforts are now to restore electricity as quickly as possible,” he said.
Lt. Gen Al Ma’amari also expressed joy that the larger threat of the cyclone had gone with Phet, curving back in the northeast direction towards Pakistan.
Meanwhile, rains continued in Muscat throughout evening with Qurum business district marooned in water.
The area had suffered the most extensive damage in 2007 tropical cyclone Gonu and even now repairs works are incomplete.
The American fast-food outlet, McDonald’s, was covered in a pool of water as level reached beyond three-feet by afternoon.
