Tropical Cyclone Phet roared toward the coast of Oman and was expected to make landfall late on Thursday at the earliest before barrelling toward the oil-exporting Gulf Arab state's LNG facilities, Reuters reported. But Phet, a Category 4 storm with winds of over 130 mph (210 kph), would weaken substantially before brushing Oman's sparsely populated southeast coastline, according to storm risk forecasts shown on a website. "It will hit the land at eastern region by first entering Masirah (Island) around 2200 (local time) tonight," Ahmed Al Harthy, a senior Omani meteorological official told Reuters. "The storm will be felt, though less severe, all the way to Muscat on Friday." Oman state television said the government had ordered police and the air force to evacuate people from areas of eastern Oman, where waves were 8 metres (26 feet) high. National carrier Oman Air said it had cancelled two flights so that aircraft could evacuate people from Masirah island, home to several villages and an Omani air force base. -- SPA
