12 killed in Oman as cyclone bears down on Iran

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MUSCAT, Jun 7 (AFP): Twelve people have been killed in Oman by Cyclone Gonu, police said Thursday, as the most violent tropical storm to hit the Gulf region in three decades beared down on neighbouring Iran.
The cyclone lashed Oman with driving sheets of rains and heavy winds Wednesday as thousands of people were evacuated in the Gulf sultanate and in Iran, where three people were reported killed.
The storm raised fears about oil shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, where about one quarter of the world's crude supplies pass, although no major disruption was reported.
Two ports in Oman were shut down Wednesday and flights cancelled at Seeb international airport.
"The number of people confirmed dead is 12," Omani police spokesman Colonel Abdallah bin Ali al-Harthi told state television.
Television showed images of overturned cars and flooded roads on the battered east coast and a police spokesman said officers had to use jet skis to get around some parts of the seaside capital Muscat.