Four dead in UAE, Dubai airport still disrupted after storm

An abandoned vehicle stands in floodwater caused by heavy rain with the Burj Khalifa in the background.

Deaths from heavy rains earlier this week in the United Arab Emirates rose to four, authorities said on Friday, as well as flooding roads and jamming Dubai's international airport.

The storm first hit Oman at the weekend, killing at least 20 people, before pounding the UAE on Tuesday with its heaviest rains in 75 years of records.

Two Philippine women and one man died in their vehicles during flooding, the government in Manila said. An Emirati man in his 70s had also died when his vehicle was swept away by floods in the northern Ras Al Khaimah emirate.

A man walks through floodwater in the Mudon (AP)

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.

Three people are said to have died (AP)

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.

In the UAE's north, including in the emirate of Sharjah, local media reported people were reportedly still trapped in homes. Residents said there was extensive damage to businesses.

The UAE's National Center of Meteorology said rain may return by late Monday, though predicted it would be light with a chance of heavy rain again on Tuesday in some areas.

Additional reporting from Reuters