Dubai: Authorities have reported that the death toll from heavy rainfall earlier this week in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached four. Record-breaking rainfall-induced flooding on roads and disrupted operations at Dubai’s international airport.
The storm initially hit Oman over the weekend, resulting in at least 21 fatalities, before it moved on to the UAE and brought the heaviest rainfall experienced in the region since records began in 1949.
According to a statement by the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers, two Filipina ladies passed away due to suffocation inside a vehicle during the UAE floods. Additionally, a Filipino man lost his life after his vehicle plunged into a sinkhole in the country. Apart from that, an Emirati citizen in his 70s was swept away by floods in the northern Ras Al Khaimah emirate and also passed away.
The exact number of fatalities generated by the strong storm in the UAE is not yet known as officials there not disclosed any data. The UAE typically contains little rainfall, owing to its parched desert weather and is a coalition of seven emirates that includes Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
Last week, a massive storm passed through all seven of the United Arab Emirates’ sheikhdoms, dropping over 5.59 inches of rain on Dubai. This is especially more than the city’s typical annual average of 4.7 inches of rain. The storm carried with it sparkling lightning that occasionally touched the tip of the world’s tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa.
Due to the shortage of common rainfall, many routes and zones in Dubai hold inadequate drainage, causing flooding. As an outcome of the storm, the major road that unites Dubai, the most populous emirate, with Abu Dhabi, stayed partially closed. Drivers were compelled to take an alternative passage, which included low water levels on the tough shoulder and left cars and buses.
The reports coming from the UAE’s north, particularly in the emirate of Sharjah, noted that there are still people entrapped in their residences due to the current bad weather. In the meantime, Emirates, a long-haul carrier, informed on social media that it will temporarily halt local check-ins for passengers journeying on its aviation until early Saturday. The airline took this action to help the rescue of operations following the recent adverse weather situations at its Dubai hub.
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