One Indian was killed, two others injured and nine reported missing after a major cyclone hit the coast of Oman on Wednesday. At least 13 people were reported killed in Cyclone Gonu, the strongest to hit the Persian Gulf since record keeping began in 1945.
A statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs gave the dead man’s name as Prakashan from Mysore. Those reported missing until Thursday evening were: Sreenu and Sami from Andhra Pradesh, Sajit Kumar, Udayan, Mohammed Ali, Binu and Anil from Kerala, Prithvi Pal Singh from Punjab, and another Punjabi whose name is not known.
Of the injured, Dharmarajan was discharged after treatment while Mohammed Abdul Rahim is in hospital. Both of them are from Hyderabad.
JK Tripathi, Charge d’Affaires at the Indian embassy in Muscat, told this correspondent by telephone that most of these people were employees of Engine Engineering Co and were caught in the cyclone at Wadi Adi.
The Muscat airport is likely to be reopened for traffic on Friday, and any relatives wishing to travel to Oman have been advised to stay in touch with the Indian embassy for an update. Both the MEA and the Indian embassy in Muscat have set up 24-hour control rooms to collect and provide information.
Some 3,86,000 Indians live in Oman, making up the largest expatriate community in the Sultanate. Hailing from all over India, these professionals and skilled or non-skilled workers are a significant source of remittances for the country.
{{/usCountry}}Some 3,86,000 Indians live in Oman, making up the largest expatriate community in the Sultanate. Hailing from all over India, these professionals and skilled or non-skilled workers are a significant source of remittances for the country.
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