Cyclone Shaheen approaches Oman, three killed, flights delayed

A child who had been swept away by water was found dead, the state news agency said, and another person was missing. Two Asian workers were killed when a hill collapsed on their housing area in an industrial zone as a result of the cyclone, the state news agency reported. Part of the eyewall of the storm, where the most severe weather occurs, had entered Al Batinah South governorate, the state news agency said.

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.

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said precautionary measures were being taken. Police officials were moving to ensure safety by conducting security patrols near beaches and valleys where torrential rains were expected. Saudi Arabia's civil defence authorities called for caution in several regions from Monday to Friday in expectation of heavy winds that may trigger floods, the state news agency reported.