2024-04-17 02:13:40
The world’s busiest airport for international passengers, which was due to receive more than 100 flights on Tuesday night, had previously been temporarily suspended due to the chaos caused by the storm.
The Middle East’s financial hub Dubai was paralyzed by rains that caused flooding across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, killing 18 people in Oman on Sunday and Monday.
“Due to the ongoing exceptional weather conditions in the UAE, Dubai International Airport is temporarily diverting inbound flights (…) until the situation improves,” a Dubai airport spokesman said, adding that planes were allowed to depart. Earlier, he warned that roads around the airport were flooded and urged passengers to use public transport.
Before that, airport operations were suspended for 25 minutes and then resumed again. Images of planes taxiing through stagnant water have gone viral on social media. There were similar scenes across Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE, a desert country better known for its dry climate and intense summer heat.
The main shopping malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were flooded, and at least one Dubai Metro station was ankle-deep in water. Schools across the UAE have been closed and are likely to remain closed on Wednesday as the storm is forecast to persist.
The governments of the UAE and Oman have previously warned that climate change could lead to more flooding. Bahrain was also hit by heavy rain and flooding, with overnight thunder and lightning. The storms missed parts of Qatar and tore through Oman, causing deadly floods that displaced dozens of people.
The discovery of the child’s body on Tuesday raised the death toll to 18, with two people missing, authorities told the Oman News Agency. Nine schoolchildren and three adults died when their vehicles were washed away by flash floods, a news agency reported on Sunday.
2024-04-17 02:13:40