Three dead amid heavy flooding after record rain in UAE

Three people have died in the United Arab Emirates as a result of heavy flooding caused by record-setting rains this week, officials have said.

A statement by the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers said two women suffocated inside their vehicle during the flooding, while a man died when his vehicle fell into a sinkhole.

The exact number of deaths caused by the storm is not yet known as UAE officials have not released any information.

The UAE, a hereditarily ruled, autocratic nation on the Arabian Peninsula, typically sees little rainfall in its arid desert climate. However, a massive storm forecasters had been warning about for days blew through the country’s seven sheikhdoms.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59in of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 3.73in of rain at Dubai International Airport. Other areas of the country saw even more precipitation.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, hoped to be back on a normal schedule within 24 hours, its chief executive told The Associated Press on Thursday.

On Friday, long-haul carrier Emirates said on the social platform X that it would again halt local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights until early Saturday to “support operations recovery from the recent bad weather at our Dubai hub”.

Low-cost carrier FlyDubai also saw some disruptions.

Meanwhile, intense floods also struck neighbouring Oman in recent days. On Thursday, authorities raised the death toll from those storms to at least 21 killed.