Oman rockslide death toll rises to 14 as search ends

The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said it recovered the last victim's body on Saturday

The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said it had recovered the last body of the 14 victims of the rockslide in Dhahirah, Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

The number of people killed in a rockslide in Oman has risen to 14 after search and rescue teams managed to recover more bodies, the official state news agency said.

The accident occurred on March 27 at a quarry in the Hajar mountains in the western Dhahirah governorate.

The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said it recovered the body of the last missing person on Saturday. The Ministry of Defence’s engineering department took part in the operation.

At least five people other people were injured when chunks of granite came crashing down on the site, the Oman News Agency said.

There were no details about the identity and nationality of the victims.

Authorities said the seven-day rescue operation was made more difficult by the sheer cliffs at the site. Thermal-imaging cameras and sniffer dogs were used to locate survivors and victims.

Dhahirah is on the southern slopes of Al Hajar mountain range. The region is also called Wilayat Ibri, meaning "crossing", as it forms a bridge to the caravan trade routes between Oman and neighbouring countries, the government's tourism website says.