On Tuesday, authorities appealed to Dubai residents and tourists to stay inside their homes and hotels as torrential downpours lashed the city, effectively flooding it.
Due to rain and heavy winds, authorities were forced to completely close several highways because… they were literally washed away by streams of water. And a major landslide in the Al-Qua area of Al Ain completely collapsed the road, forming a giant crater.
According to eyewitnesses on social networks, lightning is striking the skyscrapers of Dubai, and in one of the largest shopping centers on the planet, the Dubai Mall, pipes have burst, goods are drowning in streams of water, sellers are trying to salvage what they can.
Due to heavy rains, even the Dubai metro was flooded. And one of the metro stations turned out to be almost completely submerged under water, as well as cars and shops parked next to it.
The incredible downpour was also marred by hail. “The hailstones were huge, the size of the palm of your hand. The hailstones caused the most damage, breaking many windows in cars and houses, as well as piercing and denting the bodies of cars. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries in densely populated residential areas,” Fahad Mohamad told the Arabic press, representative of the local Met Office.
Moreover, due to a strong storm, operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) were suspended for 25 minutes, the airport said in a statement. “Since 12:02 this morning, a total of 21 outgoing and 24 incoming flights have been cancelled, while three flights have been diverted to other nearby airports,” a DXB spokesperson told Gulf News.
Let us add that the death toll as a result of the flood in Oman, neighboring the Emirates, has increased to 18 people: there was a downpour of no less force, which led to casualties. In Dubai, the authorities have not yet reported any deaths…