Dubai airport pleads with travellers ‘Don’t come!’ amid flood chaos
Dubai travel authorities today urged travellers to stay away from the airport after the United Arab Emirates was battered by more than a year and a half’s worth of rain in just a few hours.
The desert city-state yesterday suffered horrendous floods which swamped the airport and many of the surrounding roads, forcing dozens of flights to be cancelled as travellers crammed into the concourse to shelter from the torrential downpour.
Shocking videos shared on social media showed how cars were filled with water, forcing hundreds of motorists to abandon their vehicles and swim to safety. Some cars were completely submerged, with the top of their roofs barely breaking the water’s surface.
Some wealthy drivers in luxury cars bragged of ‘floating’ their way through the carnage – but most saw their vehicles stall as they became stuck in the deluge.
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Rainwater also poured into homes, pushing people out of their houses and into the streets to seek shelter in higher structures.
Meanwhile, footage from inside the airport – the world’s busiest for international travel – showed passengers sleeping on the floor as others were turned away from the terminal.
Standing water lapped on taxiways as aircraft came in to land, forcing operators to completely close the airport for almost an hour yesterday. The facility quickly reopened but the schedule has descended into chaos with dozens more flights disrupted.
A statement shared by Dubai airport operators on social media read: ‘We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary. Flights continue to be delayed and diverted.
‘Please check your flight status directly with your airline. We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions.’
An incredible time lapse video shared on social media this morning showed how the thunderstorms rolled in and the sky became black before the city was obscured by a blanket of rain. Daily Mail
