Unprecedented Heavy Rain Shut Down Dubai, Passengers Stranded At Dubai Airport | Malaysia World News
United Arab Emirates (UAE) witnessed the heaviest rainfall on Tuesday, which led to frustrating disruptions in the region, mainly in the Dubai International Airport which is one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs.
The aftermath of the unprecedented heavy rain led to airliners having to negotiate flooded runways.
Flooding has also trapped residents in traffic, offices and homes. Several malls overrun with water pouring from roofs, said witnesses.
Traffic remained heavily disrupted as well. A highway through Dubai was reduced to a single lane in one direction, while the main road that connects Dubai with the capital Abu Dhabi was closed in the Abu Dhabi direction, NBC News reported.
The airport warned that its Terminal 3 was experiencing high volumes of travelers as airlines tried to handle the backlog from cancellations and delays.
Videos shared on social media showed large jets plowing through the rippling water, sending up sprays in their wake. In the airport’s terminals, hundreds of passengers were forced to wait as their flights were canceled or delayed. some passengers have lost their luggage.
“There is currently a high volume of guests in [the] Terminal 3 check-in area,” said a statement on its website. “Passengers should only come to Terminal 3 if they have received a confirmation from their airline regarding their flight departure.”
Agency videos showed large crowds of passengers at the airport, which was recently named as the second busiest worldwide.
A passenger from India told the international media he had spent more than 30 hours at the airport after trying to catch a morning flight out of Dubai on April 16.
“[The] condition was really bad,” he told CNN. “No one was there to answer the queries. It was all haywire. There [was] a lot of water logging inside the airport. A lot of leakage happening from the roof.”
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