Rockslide kills at least 10 in Oman’s mountainous northwest

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A rockslide that sent giant slabs of stone cascading into a quarry in the northwest of Oman earlier this week has killed at least 10 people, rescue services said on Thursday.

Oman’s Ambulance Authority reported that rescuers were still searching for at least four other people known to be buried under the rubble of the quarry in Irbi, in Oman’s mountainous north.

As workers retrieved bodies throughout the day, the death toll in the cliff collapse rose to 10, authorities said, without elaborating on the victims’ nationalities.

The chunk of mountainside in the remote province of Al Dhahirah first started sliding downhill on Sunday, trapping workers in the quarry at the base of the ridge.

Such landslides are typically caused by the infiltration of groundwater, which sends the rain-loosened earth and rock roaring down.