Al Arabiya Oman reporter resigns after video mocking cyclone Shaheen

An Omani correspondent announced his resignation from a Saudi-owned news network on Tuesday, after the channel broadcasted footage of people laughing and joking about a cyclone which battered Oman, causing backlash from locals.

Muscat correspondent Yousuf Al-Hooti announced his resignation on Twitter after Al Arabiya posted a collection of videos online taken from Omanis seemingly making fun despite the devastation caused by tropical cyclone Shaheen.

الفيديو الذي بثته #العربيه واثار استياء العمانيين ..#اعصار_شاهين pic.twitter.com/0M7ydkLYew

— محسن اليزيدي (@mohsinQtr) October 5, 2021

Respecting the will of the Omani people who "resented the video material that Al Arabiya broadcasted on its website (they thought it was a joke), I announce my resignation from Al Arabiya TV as its correspondent in Muscat, noting that this material has absolutely nothing to do with me," wrote Al-Hooti in his Tweet.

Omanis took to social media to express their anger over the insensitive videos, as the natural disaster has left several dead and has caused widespread flooding and landslides.

An Official at Oman’s information ministry, Ali bin Khalfan Al-Jabri, also criticised Al Arabiya’s report as "unprofessional."

At least 11 people died, including a child who was swept away by flash flooding over the weekend.

Tropical Cyclone Shaheen was downgraded to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression after making landfall north of the capital Muscat late on Sunday.

The capital Muscat was mostly back to normal by Monday and the civil aviation authority said the "direct effects" of Shaheen were over.

Iran, which sits just across the Gulf, was also impacted and recorded at least six deaths on Sunday, while the United Arab Emirates, which borders Oman, was also put on alert.