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Rescue workers attempt to retrieve the bodies of workers trapped under a rock after a landslide Credit: PACDA

Muscat: Two workers were killed and another sustained severe injuries in a landslide in the Qurum district of Oman’s capital Muscat on Monday afternoon.

Three Asian workers were welding a water pipeline project for the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) when huge rocks began falling on them at 4.30pm, trapping them underneath.

An official at the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) told Gulf News that it took the PACDA more than 16 hours to retrieve the bodies of the workers. The official added that dozens of rescuers and paramedics belonging to the PACDA and personnel at Royal Oman Police (ROP), a number of specialised machinery and PACDA trucks, had taken part in search and rescue operations. The sole survivor is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Muscat.

The official confirmed that the landslide was not due to the minor quakes that have hit Oman recently as rumoured on social media.

Meanwhile Omanis have launched a hashtag ‘thank you heroes of civil defence and ambulance’ for their efforts to rescue those trapped. Ahmad Al Harthi, a blogger, tweeted that they put themselves in jeopardy as there was a possibility that other rocks would fall.