Heavy rainfalls accompanied by thunderstorms hit the Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, causing floods in major parts including Dubai International Airport.
Reports reveal flash floods have killed one person and grounded flights at Dubai airport, the world’s second-busiest airport.
It was reliably gathered that the rain which started on Monday has been the heaviest ever recorded in the country in the span of hours, flooding major highways.
Dubai airport authorities said it was facing “very challenging conditions” on Wednesday, and It advised passengers not to turn up as runways were besieged with water.
Similarly, UAE’s neighbour, Oman, started experiencing thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds on Sunday, but the largest rain ever hit it on Tuesday, killing 19 people in Muscat, the capital. It was the heaviest rain ever in 75 years.
Several areas of Oman received over 230 millimeters, or about 9 inches, of rain between Sunday and Wednesday, according to the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management.
Among the 19 casualties in Oman confirmed by the emergency management committee, were an infant, ten schoolchildren who were swept away in a vehicle with an adult, among others.
Some schools were shut in Oman on Wednesday, and some government employees were told to work from home.
A 29-year-old British tourist, Caroline Seubert from Leyland in Lancashire told the BBC that she and her husband had headed to Dubai Mall on Tuesday morning because they had tickets for its aquarium and had not been warned by their hotel that it could be unsafe.
Ms Seubert, who is 22 weeks pregnant, said, “The mall was flooded, ceilings were collapsing, the place shut at 7.30pm.
“We were told to leave, but the metro was shut and the taxis were not running or picking up in the area. We were stranded, had to sleep in the mall lobby overnight.”
Although the storm has passed, cars are still stuck on a flooded road in Dubai on Wednesday
No deaths were reported in Dubai, but an elderly man was killed when his vehicle was swept away in a flash flood in Ras al-Khaimah.
Although the rain had eased by Tuesday evening, Dubai International Airport warned on Wednesday morning that “recovery will take some time”.
