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Muscat lashed by Cyclone Gonu 

Muscat: Cyclone Gonu hit the capital of Oman on Wednesday lunchtime, bringing high winds and heavy rain.

The storm had moved up the coast after making landfall in the eastern region in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

It is now thought to be moving north towards Iran, with heavy weather also expected to hit the UAE on Wednesday evening and during Thursday.

The force of cyclone Gonu knocked out power lines and cut off the eastern region of the country for a short while after it hit the coast at around 3am.

However the storm has weakened and has been downgraded to a Category One cyclone according to the US military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.

Electricity and telephones lines were cut off as a result of the storm, but power has been restored in some areas.

There is thought to have been extensive damage to property but so far no fatalities have been reported.

Oil and gas terminals in the country will remain closed for a second day because of the poor weather, according to media reports.

In Iran, authorities evacuated hundreds of people living in the port city of Chabahr on the coast of the Sea of Oman, believed to be next in the cyclone's path.

Azhar Al Kindi, a member of Oman's National Committee for Civil Defence, said the government was working to restore power to the region.

He added: “There is extensive damage to properties in most towns in the eastern region including Sur and Ras Al Hadd.

“There is a great impact but the magnitude of the damage is not known yet. All our police stations are on high alert but so far there has not been any reported injuries, missing persons or fatalities since last night.”

Al Kindi added that the “early warning and transparency” about the storm had allowed residents to arm themselves about the full magnitude of the approaching storm and take appropriate steps.

Gulf News