Salalah battered but unbowed by Mekunu as no one is hurt in Omani resort

Salalah, the popular Omani tourist resort dotted with luxury hotels, was hit hard by the storm.

Hundreds of holidaymakers were staying in the city’s beachfront hotels when Cyclone Mekunu made landfall.

And while Mekunu has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, Salalah felt the full force of its howling winds and lashing rain.

Pictures on Twitter showed hastily abandoned cars being overwhelmed by flood waters in the city.

In video posted on social media, James Hewitson, general manager at Anantara’s Al Baleed Salalah Resort, said: “It’s been a rough night and a tough couple of days but we’re getting there. We are pleased to report that there are no injuries.

“We got through it, and all is well. Now we just need to make sure we keep our guests comfortable.”

The Anantara describes itself as a “pool villa resort”.

“We’ll be working with all the travel agents and airlines to make sure we can get the guests back home as soon as possible and safely to their families, and then the big clean-up operation will start,” Mr Hewitson said.

Salalah airport was to open overnight, with Oman Air operating its first inbound flight from Muscat today.

The resort also posted a picture of its weather board yesterday, which carries the words: “Coconut moving: windy; coconut gone: hurricane.” The coconut could not be seen in the picture.