OUR HEROES: KEEPING YOU SAFE
Civil defence warriors carried out many rescue operations, saving many lives
At least 30 people have been rescued in a single day from wadis across the Sultanate by the heroes at the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA).
Over the past 24 hours, the Sultanate has been engulfed by an area of low pressure covering nearly the entire country. As a result of the heavy rains, flash floods appeared, leading to a spike in rescue operations.
The Public Authority for Civil Aviation announced that the worst of the adverse weather is over, and conditions are settling down.
The first reported rescue operation began at 20:41 on Saturday night, when a team from the Department of Civil Defence and Ambulance in Muscat rescued four citizens after water flooded their home in Al Amerat.
Teams from various departments of civil defence and ambulance throughout the Sultanate took part in rescue operations, in Wilayats such as Al Amerat, Diba, Khasab, Dhank, Ibri, Ibra, Al Musanna, and Adam.
An official from the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance told Times of Oman, “The majority of the reports we receive involve people who cross wadis, and so our main advice is for citizens and expats not to risk this.”
Many of the of rescue operations involved vehicles. Thankfully, none of the 30 rescued individuals were badly hurt, with only one Asian national reported to have sustained slight injuries.
Locals have also aided authorities by selflessly volunteering to rescue people trapped in wadis.
In a statement, the Royal Oman Police said: “We have reports of a family trapped in a vehicle in Wadi Siq - Wilayat Al Kamil Wa Al Wafi. They’re currently being rescued by local citizens.”>A7