Seventeen people were missing and hundreds of others evacuated from their homes Thursday (May 24th) after a cyclone hit the Yemeni archipelago of Socotra, AFP reported.
Yemen's neighbour Oman is preparing for landfall of Cyclone Mekunu on Friday, with national weather experts expecting it to intensify to a category two cyclone from category one, after it hit Socotra on Wednesday night.
The missing people had been in two boats that sunk and three vehicles swept away by floods, said Ramzy Mahrous, governor of Socotra, adding that Socotra could not handle relief efforts on its own.
"The coastal areas were submerged by floods causing heavy damage to homes," with more than 10 villages in Socotra's south and east cut off, he said.
"Socotra is a disaster province due to human and material damage at all levels and requires urgent aid," said Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi.
President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi called Socotra's governor and promised to aid rescue efforts.
In Oman, authorities announced they were taking "necessary precautions", with police and army forces on alert to deal with the strong cyclone.
State-run television in Oman said authorities evacuated hundreds of residents from a small island off the southern city of Salalah, capital of Dhofar province.
Oman's civil aviation authority has announced Salalah airport will be closed for 24 hours from midnight Thursday, while the education ministry said schools in Dhofar would be shut until after Monday.
