Dubai rain: Airport flooded, India flights hit; schools shut, cars under water | Top updates

Vehicles are stranded on a flooded street following torrential rain in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai on April 16, 2024.

Torrential rain across the United Arab Emirates caused widespread flooding around the desert country, prompting Dubai’s major international airport to divert scores of incoming flights on Tuesday, April 16. The rain also forced Dubai International Airport to suspend operations for 25 minutes, schools to shut and brought traffic to a standstill

The website for Dubai airport, one of the world’s busiest, shows dozens of flights on April 16 delayed or cancelled, with affected destinations including India, Pakistan, Saudi and the United Kingdom.

The heavy rain that caused widespread flooding across the desert nation stemmed partly from cloud seeding.

Dubai rain and flood: Top points

• The Dubai International Airport confirmed a halt to arrivals at 7:26pm (local time) before announcing a “gradual resumption” more than two hours later.
• Earlier the airport, which had been expecting more than 100 flight arrivals on Tuesday evening, took the equally unusual step of briefly halting its operations in the chaos caused by the storm.
• Departure flights remained in operation during the evening but were plagued with delays and cancellations. Access roads to the airport were also badly flooded.
• Flydubai said it temporally suspended all of its flights departing from Dubai until Wednesday morning due to bad weather, the UAE state news agency WAM reported.
• Similar scenes were repeated across Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE as the oil-rich Gulf state, better known for its arid climate and intense summer heat, reeled from the storm.
• Flagship shopping centres Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates suffered flooding and water was ankle-deep in at least one Dubai Metro station, according to images posted on social media.
• People took to social media to share updates on the aftermath of the rain. Some videos showed cars being swept off roads, while another showed the ceiling of a shop collapsing as water inundated one of Dubai’s most popular malls. The emirate’s metro was disrupted.
• Dubai, the Middle East’s financial centre, has been paralysed by the torrential rain that caused floods across the UAE and Bahrain, and left 18 dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday.
• Both Oman and the UAE, which hosted last year’s COP28 UN climate talks, have previously warned that global warming is likely to lead to more flooding.
• The Asian Champions League football semi-final between the UAE’s Al Ain and Saudi side Al Hilal, due to be hosted in Al Ain, was postponed for 24 hours because of the weather.

(With inputs from agencies)

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