IANS | 17 Apr, 2024
Dubai airport, one of the world's busiest, on Wednesday advised
passengers not to head to the hub "unless absolutely necessary," after
the city in the United Arab Emirates suffered flooding from the heaviest
rainfall seen in decades.
The airport said flights are being delayed and diverted.
"We
are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very
challenging conditions," the airport added in a social media post.
Footage circulating on social media showed the airport's runways flooded and planes attempting to navigate pools of water.
Emirates,
Dubai's flagship carrier, said it has suspended check-in at the Dubai
airport for departing passengers until midnight due to what it called
"operational challenges" caused by bad weather and road conditions.
At
least 20 flights, due to depart from Dubai airport, were cancelled on
Tuesday, affecting destinations, including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia
and the United Kingdom, the UAE newspaper The National reported.
Roads leading to the airport remained blocked and flooded, it added.
The
government of Dubai said it had extended remote working for all its
employees until Wednesday, and urged private sector institutions to do
the same.
On Tuesday, the UAE, a Gulf federation of seven
emirates, were lashed by downpours described by its National Centre of
Meteorology as the heaviest rainfall in the past 75 years.
As a result, the federal government announced extending remote working for all state employees to Wednesday.
At least one person died after his car was swept away by floods in the emirate of Ras Al Khaima, police said.
The man, a UAE citizen, was in his 70s.
In neighbouring Oman, at least 18 people died after the country was hit by torrential rains.
