28 killed in Gonu onslaught

Dubai/Muscat: More than two dozen people were killed by Cyclone Gonu as the Gulf region tried to cope with the aftermath of widespread destruction.

Click here to see the direction of Gonu (pdf)

Reuters, quoting a relief official, reported that 25 died in Oman as Gonu upturned cars, flooded neighbourhoods and snapped trees apart. Residents in Muscat yesterday began assessing the damaged caused by Gonu's heavy winds and severe flooding.

In Iran, Reuters quoted state television as reporting that three people were killed and more than 40,000 evacuated from southern coastal areas of the country.

As residents on the UAE's east coast tried to get their lives back to normal, Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Interior Minister, accompanied by Humaid Al Qutami, Minister of Health, inspected parts of Fujairah hit by Gonu. Shaikh Saif also inspected the damage caused by flooding in Kalba Corniche and ordered that all the needs of those families affected should be met.

Fujairah Port reopened yesterday morning while fish prices in Dubai continued to rise as fishermen stayed ashore.