Rulers condole Sultan of Oman over flood victims

ABU DHABI: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of condolences to Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said of Oman, over the victims of the floods that hit the sultanate, wishing a speedy recovery to all the injured.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, His Highness Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman and His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Rashid Al Mu’alla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain also dispatched similar messages to the Sultan of Oman.

Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in Oman on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, killing at least 17 people as rescuers searched for survivors, authorities said on Monday.

In one incident, a group of schoolchildren and a driver died when their vehicle was overtaken, authorities said.

Civil Defence officials gave the death toll for the rain, which saw Oman’s North Al Sharqiyah province hardest hit.

The Royal Oman Police and the Omani military deployed to the province to transport citizens out of flooded areas, the state-run Oman News Agency reported.

Heavy rainfall often causes flash flooding in the sultanate, drawing the curious from their homes to nearby dry riverbeds, known in Arabic as “wadi.”

In flooding, they can quickly fill and wash away people and vehicles.