LAST UPDATE | 17 Apr 2024

IRISH PEOPLE ARE among those impacted by severe flooding and flight disruptions in Dubai as the city experiences record levels of rainfall.

Up to 259.5 millimetres (10.2 inches) of rain, the most since records began 75 years ago, fell on the desert United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

The United Arab Emirates has experienced the heaviest rain ever recorded there Jon Gambrell / AP/PA Images Jon Gambrell / AP/PA Images / AP/PA Images

Many properties have been flooded, and people have been advised to avoid Dubai International Airport amid flight cancellations and delays. 

At least one person has died. A 70-year-old man was swept away in his car in Ras Al-Khaimah, one of the country’s seven emirates, police said.

Several flights at Dubai airport, the world’s busiest hub for international travel, have been cancelled, severely delayed or diverted.

An Irish man currently waiting for a flight from Dubai to Dublin said the airport has “descended into chaos”.

He told The Journal that large queues are not moving and “shouting matches” have started to break out as frustrations rise.

Dublin flights to and from Dubai have been delayed, some by several hours, Dublin Airport has said. The latest updates can be viewed here. 

#Dubai Airport you have never ever seen. 👀
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— Shen Shiwei 沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) April 17, 2024

An earlier statement from Dubai International Airport said passengers should not attend “unless absolutely necessary”. Poeple have been advised to check the status of their flight with the relevant airline.

“We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions,” the statement added.

‘Catastrophic’ flooding

Irish woman Amanda Gavin described the flooding as “catastrophic”.

Gavin, who has been living in Dubai for 11 years, told RTÉ’s News at One the “whole city went black” yesterday before the torrential rain began.

She said Dubai’s infrastructure could not handle the sheer amount of rainfall.

We had flooding in our villa, the whole top floor flooded because the drains got blocked.

She said it was a case of “trying to keep the water at bay” to stop it “destroying the whole house.”

A lot of properties including her own home were damaged, she added.

‘Historic weather event’

The state-run WAM news agency called Tuesday’s rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949″.

Most schools across the UAE shut ahead of the storm, and employees largely worked remotely where possible. 

The heavy rain descended on the UAE, Bahrain and parts of Qatar after hitting Oman, where it caused deadly floods and left dozens stranded. At least 18 people died after the floods in Oman.

Contains reporting from Eimer McAuley, Press Association and © AFP 2024 

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