(CTN News) – In the Gulf region, heavy rains and flash floods have swept parts of the region, killing at least 18 people in Oman and causing travel disruptions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a result.
A death toll of at least nine schoolchildren and their driver were announced on Tuesday in the Sultanate of Oman, where the floodwaters washed away their vehicle in Samad A’Shan on Sunday, killing nine of them.
In a statement, the National Committee for Emergency Management said rescue teams were still searching for two people who had gone missing.
In some provinces of the Sultanate, employees in the public and private sectors were given the day off due to the harsh Flash Floods and weather conditions. Remote work was recommended in other parts of the Sultanate due to erratic weather conditions. It was also recommended that residents evacuate to shelters if they felt they were in danger or if they were asked to do so by authorities if they felt they were in danger.
It has been reported that police and soldiers have been deployed to Ash Sharqiyah North, the province hardest hit by the Flash Floods, in order to get citizens out of the flooded areas.
The UAE has been affected by flash floods.
Additionally, heavy rainfall also caused flash floods across major highways in the neighboring Emirates on Tuesday. This left vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai due to heavy rain.
After a night of heavy rains, massive ponds formed on city streets with whipping winds disrupting flights at the Dubai international airport as the rains began overnight.
The schools across the country were largely closed before the storm, and as many government employees as possible were working remotely if they were able. There were also many workers who stayed home on Monday, but some braved the flash floods and ventured outside. Some unfortunate workers stalled out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads due to heavy rain.
Water was pumped away from the streets and highways of the city by tanker trucks dispatched by the authorities.
Initially, it was estimated that more than 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of rain fell over the morning in Dubai, with a total of 128 millimeters (5 inches) of rain expected to fall throughout the day.
Bahrain, Qatar, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were also hit by rain.
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