RACE TO ESCAPE DUBAI AFTER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAUSE 'APOCALYPTIC' FLOODING

Thousands of British families are racing to escape Dubai amid the apocalyptic scenes of flooding overnight – with even more rain on the way.

Thunderstorms lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, dumping more than 4.7 inches of rain – the largest rainfall in the past 75 years.

Dozens of flights from Dubai International Airport – the busiest for international travel in the world – were grounded yesterday after operations were suspended for 25 minutes.

Now the airport has begun turning away passengers altogether, with footage from last night showing passengers sleeping on the airport floor,

‘We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary,’ the airport said on X at 6am.

‘Flights continue to be delayed and diverted. Please check your flight status directly with your airline.’

Among those stuck in the city are Only Way Is Essex stars, Joey Essex and James Argent. On Instagram, Argent shared images of flooded roads as they tried to ‘hitchhike’ and find a taxi.

‘We have now decided to take the next step… operation survival,’ he said.

Holidaymaker Abi Cramp told MailOnline she flew out for a friend’s birthday.

‘Yesterday felt like the apocalypse. There was a point when we looked outside during the middle of the afternoon – it was pitch black as the wind and rain pelted the windows while lightning cracked the sky,’ she said.

‘The pictures don’t do it justice, but it did feel like something out of The Day After Tomorrow.

‘The aftermath felt like the Titanic. Most of the roads are flooded. We had to scale walls to avoid wading through calf-high puddles.’

Jonathan Rodgers, his wife and daughter, 10, all slept on the floor of the Mall of the Emirates overnight due to the floodwater. The roads around the shopping centre were waterlogged, as was the local Metro station.

He claimed he and his family had been left with ‘no information’ about the situation for hours.

TikTok and YouTube influencer Calvin Fehr said his flight back to Britain was delayed for hours.

Sharing footage of his Emirates aircraft surrounded by water, he told his TikTok followers: ‘Literally, the whole runway is one big puddle.’

Today, even more rain, thunder, lightning and hail will begin in the west before spreading eastward, the country’s weather service said.

By this afternoon, the wet and windy weather should ‘gradually decrease’.

Scenes of devastation can be seen across the desert UAE emirate famous for its luxurious, ultramodern architecture.

Videos circulating on social media show yesterday’s rainfall – now turned into a powerful steam of water – bursting through the ceilings of houses, restaurants, bars and shopping centres.

Shoppers in Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were ankle-deep in water.

Have you been impacted by the flooding chaos in Dubai or struggling to fly back home? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Schools were closed and the Asian Champions League football semi-final between the UAE’s Al Ain and Saudi side Al Hilal was postponed.

The storms not only lashed the UAE but also Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, where emergency authorities told the Oman News Agency that nine schoolchildren and three adults died after flash floods on Sunday.

In Oman, which borders the UAE, a separate rainstorm killed at least 20 people, including 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle.

Times of Oman reported that the body of a girl was recovered today in Wilayat of Saham.

The country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a grade four weather alert for heavy rainfall yesterday, warning of strong winds and hail expected this morning.

Rain is rare in the UAE, known for its dry desert climate, with yesterday seeing the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain pelting the country.

The National Center of Meteorology said the eastern city of Al Ain, a tourist hotspot, had nearly 255mm of precipitation in less than 24 hours.

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2024-04-17T05:52:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd