Heavy rains struck Dubai and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday (April 16) and submerged airport runways as well as malls in Dubai. The heavy rains and the ensuing flooding led to people abandoning vehicles on the road in Dubai.
Rain started overnight and the strong winds interrupted flights at Dubai International Airport. The flight operations were halted for 25 minutes and were later resumed.
According to reports, Dubai received 120 millimeters (4.75 inches) of rainfall, the average of what the desert nation receives in a year, in just over a day’s rainfall.
Several parts of Oman also saw torrential rains, with students stuck in buses, swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.
Videos from Dubai, shared on social media, revealed widespread roads inundated with water in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other key cities, leaving commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded.
Flagship shopping centers Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both borne flooding and water was ankle-deep in at least one Dubai Metro station, according to images posted on social media.
Another video showed water leaking from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors, and destroying goods. A video, reportedly shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Clips from several outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain too showed similar scenes, rendering escalators unusable, reported local media.
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Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes remain open, and the customers are being directed away from affected areas. “As a result of the inclement weather conditions in the UAE, Mall of the Emirates and City Centers are experiencing disruptions to their regular operations. The safety of our customers, staff and tenants is our foremost priority,” it said in a statement.
