Flights have been cancelled in Dubai after torrential rain left parts of the city underwater.
Flooding and heavy rainfall has caused disruption at Dubai International Airport.
Its operator said delays were likely to continue throughout Saturday, while some flights have been cancelled or diverted.
Images shared on social media showed streets submerged by water and even parts of the airport flooded.
Dubai’s government said there had been “unusually heavy rain”, causing “pools of water” in some parts of the United Arab Emirates‘ largest city.
People could be seen standing in ankle-high water in the middle of roads in images shared by Dubai’s official media centre.
Emirates Airline tweeted: “Heavy rainfall has caused disruptions to several flights departing from or arriving at [Dubai International] today.”
They advised people to check their flight status before travelling.
Dubai International is one of the world’s busiest airports and home to both the airlines Emirates and Flydubai, who also said some flights were being delayed or diverted following the heavy rain.
The first major endurance motorsport event of the year kicked off in Dubai on Friday, but was called off before its halfway point due to the torrential rain.
The Dubai 24 Hours race was cancelled the next morning as officials said water on the track and in the pit lane rose as bad weather continued overnight.
“The weather conditions have heavily impacted the entire city and the infrastructures of Dubai Autodrome,” organisers Creventic said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
