Bodies of missing Indian family found in Oman's flooded area

DUBAI: Bodies of four Indians were found in a flooded area in Oman as rescue authorities launched a massive search operation to trace six members of an Indian healthcare worker's family who went missing after torrential rains.

Rescue teams, searching for the missing six-member expatriate family have retrieved four bodies of them in a flooded area, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said on Thursday, the Gulf News reported.

The family of the Indian healthcare worker on Saturday went on a picnic to the Wadi Bani Khalid, about 200 kilometres from Muscat, where they were trapped inside their vehicle due to torrential rains.

The family head managed to leave the vehicle and survived by clutching to a palm tree.

Other members of the family including the man's parents, wife and three children have since been missing after they were swept away by flood water, the daily said.

Omani authorities have since Saturday launched a massive-scale search operation to trace them.

“Search efforts for the Asian family have culminated until now in finding four bodies,” the ROP said in a statement.

It added that two of the four bodies have been identified.

“Work teams continue research for the two (missing) others,” the police added.

In the past few days, Oman has experienced heavy rains that resulted in blocking several roads and stranding many people.

Authorities have rescued several people who were trapped inside cars in water-drenched areas.