Current:Home > reviewsHeavy rains lash UAE and surrounding nations as the death toll in Oman flooding rises to 18 -FinanceMind
Heavy rains lash UAE and surrounding nations as the death toll in Oman flooding rises to 18
View
Date:2025-04-14 01:17:32
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates. By the evening, over 120 millimeters (4.75 inches) of rainfall had soaked the city-state — the typical average for a year in the desert nation — with more expected in the coming hours.
Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through the flooded streets, their emergency lights flashing across the darkened morning. Lightning flashed across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads.
Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water. Water poured into some homes, forcing people to bail out their houses.
Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.
Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 18 people had been killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement Tuesday from the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management. That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, which saw condolences come into the country from rulers across the region.
veryGood! (32336)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- 5 questions about the new streaming service Max — after a glitchy launch
- These John Wick Franchise Secrets Are Quite Continental
- The Bradshaw Bunch's Rachel Bradshaw Marries Chase Lybbert: All the Wedding Details
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Get a $40 J.Crew Top for $8, $159 Pants for $38, a $138 Cardigan for $38, and More Major Deals
- Sephora 24-Hour Flash Sale: 50% Off Buxom, Benefit Cosmetics, It Cosmetics, and More
- Sephora 24-Hour Flash Sale: 50% Off KVD Beauty, Fresh, BareMinerals, Peter Thomas Roth, and More
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Migrant border crossings drop from 10,000 to 4,400 per day after end of Title 42
Ranking
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Dogecoin price spikes after Elon Musk changes Twitter logo to the Shiba Inu dog
- Search for Madeleine McCann will resume in coming days, say Portuguese police
- What It's Like Inside The Submersible That's Lost In The Atlantic
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Fireworks can make bad air quality even worse. For some cities, the answer is drones
- India's top female wrestlers lead march calling for the arrest of official accused of sexual harassment
- Kate Spade Jaw-Dropping Deals: Last Day to Save 80% On Handbags, Satchels, Totes, Jewelry, and More
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Kelly Ripa Details Her Ludicrous Sex Life With Husband Mark Consuelos
Sephora 24-Hour Flash Sale: 50% Off KVD Beauty, Fresh, BareMinerals, Peter Thomas Roth, and More
Russian court extends Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's detention by 3 months
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Twitter users say they haven't paid for their blue checks but still have them
Why Blac Chyna Quit Degrading OnlyFans Career Amid New Personal Chapter
The U.S.' top general reflects on the changing face of war, 79 years after D-Day