Cyclone Phet could hit the country's coast with winds of 75 mph and workers are on standby to evacuate residents by force if necessary, Pakistani officials have said.

Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn said on Friday that weather forecasters said the cyclone did not lessen in force to the degree expected as it passed over Oman.

Pakistan's Daily Times also reported that two people were killed in Oman and the cyclone halted the small oil-producing country's oil and gas production.

Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, head of Pakistan's meteorological department, said, "It is expected to approach Pakistan Saturday evening and landfall on Sunday with maximum winds of 100 to 120 kilometers (60 miles to 75 miles) per hour."

Dawn further reported that authorities have put hospitals on alert and stockpiled medicines and equipment.

Relief officials in the southern province of Sindh, where the country's capital of Karachi is located, have evacuated tens of thousands of residents from coastal districts but say many are refusing to leave.

It has been reported that authorities had previously thought Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, financial capital and crucial seaport, would escape the worst of the storm.

Nadeem Ahmed, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said, "We have to be ready for the worst as it seems Karachi could be in the center of the impact, and we can't rule out danger when the cyclone comes here on Sunday evening." (With Inputs from Agencies)