Tropical storm kills 13 in Oman, Iran

By Diana Shalhub

ISTANBUL (AA) – Tropical Cyclone Shaheen has killed at least 13 people in Oman and Iran since Saturday, while five Iranian fishermen have gone missing.

The Omani national emergency management tweeted Monday that a missing person was found dead in the Rustaq area in the southern Al-Batinah province.

According to the official Omani News Agency, heavy rains caused by the tropical storm led to the death of four people, including a child on Sunday.

Two Asians were also found dead due to a mountain landslide on their workers' compound in the Rusayl industrial zone in the capital Muscat, the agency said.

Meanwhile, the Omani aviation authority ordered a reschedule of all flights to Muscat airport due to Cyclone Shaheen.

In Iran, ICANA News Agency quoted deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, as saying that six people had been killed in the port of Chabahar in the southwestern Sistan and Balochistan province from the storm.

The IRNA news agency also reported that five fisherman have been missing when their boat was hit by rocks due to the Cyclone.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it was on high alert and took several measures to deal with the upcoming situation and to mitigate the Cyclone's impact.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara