Cyclone Shaheen kills child as Oman delays, reschedules flights

Tropical Cyclone Shaheen bore down on Oman on Sunday, prompting authorities to delay flights to and from the capital, Muscat, and to urge residents to evacuate coastal areas.
A child who had been swept away by water was found dead, the state news agency said, and another person was missing.
About 25 people have been rescued by Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA). "Rescue teams responded to nine reports about people being stranded in their vehicles in the Governorate of Muscat as a result of heavy rains, and they managed to rescue 25 people, all of whom are in good health," the Authority said in a statement.
The eye of the storm was about 60 km from Muscat and it was carrying top winds of 120 kmph or more, a joint statement by the country's hazard, weather and civil aviation agencies said.
The storm's centre was expected to hit land during the late afternoon and evening, bringing very high winds and heavy rainfall, but the outer bands of the system were already being felt.
The national emergency committee said the power supply would be cut in al-Qurm, east of the capital, to avoid accidents. More than 2,700 people were put up in emergency shelters.
Most of the oil-exporting country's five million people live in and around Muscat. Roads in the capital would be open only to vehicles on emergency and humanitarian journeys until the storm dies down, authorities said.
The direct impact of tropical cyclone Shaheen was felt on Sunday morning in the governorates of Muscat and South Al Batinah, with very heavy rainfall (50-110 mm).
The centre of the tropical cyclone is about 80 km from the Governorate of Muscat, and the wind speed around the centre is estimated at 65 to 75 knots (120-139 km/h).
The Civil Aviation Authority called upon everyone to take the utmost precaution and not to risk crossing valleys, to stay away from low-lying places, and not to go to the sea during this period.