Muscat: Large-scale Devastation, Ghala Church Damaged

Report and pics by Clarence Pinto
Daijiworld team
with Stanley Fernandes

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Muscat, Jun 8: To check the aftereffects of Gonu tropical cyclone in Muscat area, the Daijiworld Muscat team exclusively travelled along with Stanley T H Fernandes, the current president of Mangalorean Catholic Centre of the Parish and one of the longest serving Mangaloreans in Oman, to various places in and around Muscat and found the damages caused were wide-ranging. We had to walk miles to get the photographs since the roads leading to these spots were closed and / or damaged.

Destruction was worst in some places. In these places water and electricity supply also not available right now.

The road towards Quriyat city next to Wadi Hatat roundabout has been totally damaged. We could see wooden logs, refrigerators and building materials arround the wadis. Huge trailers can be seen having rolled over and washed into the wadis. Al Amerat and Wadi Hatat road link has been severed.

The main road leading from Ruwi to Qurum opposite to Al Harthy Complex has been damaged and all the traffic is being diverted from CCC complex. The CCC complex, McDonalds, Al Araimi Complex and Pizza Hut areas have been extensively damaged and the area has been inundated with water and mud. All the luxury shopping malls around that high-end shopping area in Qurm were filled with water, mud and are heavily damaged. Shop-owners are busy retrieving whatever is left of their stocks and are trying to restore the units.

The new car stock-yard of Toyota has suffered the maximum damage. The whole stock-yard was ravished by the cyclonic water. There were hundreds of brand new cars piled up one over the other. The bridge near Royal Hospital roundabout has collapsed.

We could see heavy damage wrought on the Holy Spirit Church - Ghala and Protestant Church - Ghala buildings. The whole area was covered with mud and sand. The faithful were trying to clean the hall but the church is in a very bad state and it might take many days to restore it to its original condition. The Ghala church car park isfilled with sand and mud. It was really upsetting to see the place having been damaged to such an extent.