Muscat: While unprecedented heavy rains lashed the desert country of the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring nations, as many as 19 were killed in separate heavy flooding in Oman with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm, according to a statement from the country's National Committee for Emergency Management on Tuesday.

That includes some schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, which saw condolences come into the country from rulers across the region. After torrential rains lashed the country, various parts of Oman experienced severe flooding. The Royal Oman Police promptly responded to rescue school students trapped in buses, families stranded inside flooded houses, and motorists swept away in their vehicles by strong water currents, according to Khaleej Times.

Field teams of the Royal Oman Police, the Royal Army of Oman, the Civil Defence Authority and the ambulance moved students from the school to a safer place. Due to the high level of the rains, the Committee has activated the National Emergency Situations Management, as well as all sectors and sub-committees in the Governorates expected to be impacted to elevate preparedness and readiness levels in order to mitigate the impacts of the situation and respond to different reports.