Death toll in cyclone rises to 13

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The death toll from Cyclone Mekunu that struck Oman and Yemen over the weekend rose to at least 13 on Monday as relief workers and aid arrived to hard-hit areas in the two Arabian Peninsula countries.

Flooding and damage was considerable from the cyclone, the strongest-ever recorded to hit southern Oman and the sultanate’s third-largest city of Salalah.

The cyclone’s remaining hazards are just as deadly days after its landfall early Saturday on the coast of Oman. The Royal Oman Police announced Monday the death of two additional people who lost control of their car in flood waters in Salalah.

Those deaths come after Oman’s National Committee for Civil Defense earlier announced that four people had been killed. The dead include a 12-year-old girl killed when the storm’s strong winds flung open a metal door that struck her in the head.

While Salalah International Airport has reopened, there’s still much damage that needs to be repaired in Oman, from downed power lines to whole roadways swallowed by raging flash floods. Water supplies also have been affected.

Before hitting Oman, Mekunu struck Yemen’s Socotra in the Arabian Sea, causing massive damage to the island that UNESCO has recognized as a world natural heritage site. The storm killed at least seven people there while eight remain missing, according to the United Nations.

Over 500 families were displaced by the storm, which sent flash floods through streets and homes on the island. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar all have sent relief supplies to the island, as has the U.N.

Cyclone Mekunu packed maximum sustained winds of 105-111 mph with gusts of up to 124 mph.