UAE rain left thousands of passengers stranded at the airport
People had to sleep on the airport floor, and many were returned to avoid overcrowding at the terminal
Dubai: Last night, Dubai Airport was overwhelmed by stranded passengers. Many flights were cancelled due to heavy downpours that had left the streets of Dubai and Abu Dhabi flooded. Passengers who had already reached the airport had to sleep on the floor overnight while waiting for the new flight schedule. Due to overcrowding, the airport administration did not allow many passengers to enter the terminal.
The UAE experienced one of its worst weather episodes in the last two days, receiving more than 4.7 inches of rainfall before 4 pm—a typical yearly average otherwise. The roads surrounding and leading to the airport were drowned in water. Cars were seen floating on the water while the helpless drivers could only submit to nature.
According to the eyewitnesses, the waiting areas were packed to capacity, and not a single seat was empty as a flood of people entered the airport to catch their flights. The world's busiest airport had to halt its operations around 3:30 pm GMT. It took two hours to resume the operations fully. Per the airport administration, 17 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled in the morning, and three were denied landing and diverted.
Several shocking videos and pictures appeared on social media, showing jets cutting through the muddy waters at the Dubai International Airport. A few videos and photos showed people trapped outside the airport, bracing against the storm and heavy rainfall while their cars floated on the water.
Abandoned cars submerged in heavily flooded roads piled up on the streets. Several drivers tried to climb out of their vehicles, sat on rooftops, and waited for the rescue. A handful of brave drivers battling the elements have been spotted sitting atop their roofs and waiting for rescue under the black sky.
A video shared on X early Tuesday showed entrepreneur and YouTuber Jordan Welch stuck in his Rolls Royce in Dubai as the road was flooded.
'My Rolls Royce got flooded, and we're stuck in the middle of the road in Dubai,' he wrote. 'Just like all my friends in crypto... today I am underwater,' he posted in a follow-up.
Of all the cars, Tesla floated without effort on the flooded roads. Many drivers took to X, formerly Twitter, to praise Elon Musk for having 'the best experience with the Tesla Y model'.
The onslaught of rain damaged several buildings and shops as the water whipped through the windows. Many cars smashed against the walls because of the force of the water.
Hundreds of shops and buildings have been left in ruins following the intense and rare floods sweeping through parts of the UAE.
UAE's National Center of Meteorology said unstable weather conditions will continue until Wednesday.
