ALL DRENCHED

saw an oil tanker trailer and an ONTC minibus involved in a road accident, which blocked the flow of traffic,” the source noted.

An expat who travelled to Sumail from Al Khuwair said she had to take extra precautions while driving. “The road was slippery. I saw three accidents on my way to Sumail,” Kavitha Viswanath, an expatriate working in a private firm in Al Khuwair, said.

Meanwhile, Muscat Governorate, particularly the city areas, was drenched by the heavy rain, resulting in flooded roads, overflowing wadis, and traffic blocks, yesterday. Seeb, Al Ghubra, Al Khuwair, Qurum, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir, Darsait, and Muttrah witnessed heavy rain at around 4pm.

“Many low-lying areas in Al Ghubra, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir, and Muttrah were flooded, leading to traffic jams for several hours,” sources added. “In Ruwi, the Hamriyah area was flooded. Water was flowing like a river into the lowlying areas in Hamriyah. Some of the shops in the area were inundated,” sources added.

According to the Met department, during the next 48 hours there are chances of rain showers, thunderstorms, and hailstorms in Musandam, Buraimi, Dhahira, Batinah, Muscat, Dakhliyah, and Sharqiyah.

According to Ministry of Health officials, Ibri Referral Hospital will remain closed for three days after it was badly hit by heavy rain.

Meanwhile, Public Authority of Consumer Protection (PACP) chairman Dr Said Khamis Al Kabi said that shoppers have not increased the prices of commodities and PACP is keeping a tab on them.

Several wilayats in different governorates reported power outages.