June 06, 2007 - Thousands of people are reported to be fled low-lying areas of Oman as one of the the strongest cyclone has threatened the Arabian Peninsula in 60 years blasting the eastern coast on Wednesday.  Southern Iran and the oil-rich Persian Gulf could be next to its path.

Cyclone-force winds of Gonu, which had been churning northwest through the Indian Ocean, reached the Omani coastal towns of Sur and Ra's al-Hadd.

Civil Defence officials said the storm was dropping heavy rains on the capital Muscat and other nearby towns. It was not known if the storm was causing any damage.

Cyclone Gonu had weakened somewhat during the day but was still packing winds of up to 170 kmph and churning up ocean waves of several metres, the officials said.At 2200 GMT on Tuesday, Cyclone Gonu was centred just off central Oman, 225 km southeast of Muscat.

It was travelling along the coastline at about 13 kmph), according to the US military's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, a US military task force that tracks storms in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Gonu was expected to skirt the region's biggest oil installations but could disrupt shipping in the Straits of Hormuz, causing a spike in prices, oil analysts said.
Thousands of people fled low-lying areas of Oman as the strongest cyclone to threaten the Arabian Peninsula in 60 years blasted the eastern coast on Wednesday.

Southern Iran and the oil-rich Persian Gulf were next in the cyclone's path.Cyclone-force winds of Gonu, which had been churning northwest through the Indian Ocean, reached the Omani coastal towns of Sur and Ra's al-Hadd.

Civil Defence officials said the storm was dropping heavy rains on the capital Muscat and other nearby towns.It was not known if the storm was causing any damage.

Cyclone Gonu had weakened somewhat during the day but was still packing winds of up to 170 kmph and churning up ocean waves of several metres, the officials said.At 2200 GMT on Tuesday, Cyclone Gonu was centred just off central Oman, 225 km southeast of Muscat.

It was travelling along the coastline at about 13 kmph), according to the US military's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, a US military task force that tracks storms in the Pacific and Indian oceans as per Associated Press.

Gonu was expected to skirt the region's biggest oil installations but could disrupt shipping in the Straits of Hormuz, causing a spike in prices, oil analysts said.