Terrifying videos have emerged from storm-struck Dubai over the last two days that look more like something out of a disaster movie than real life.
In one shocking clip, debris from the road above suddenly crashes through an underpass. The wind is so strong, the debris is pushed far under the road above at shocking speeds, while rain lashes in at a seemingly impossible angle.A person is swimming through floodwaters in Dubai after the city was hit with stormsA driver is seen navigating their car through deep flood waters in Dubai
Yesterday, when the desert sun should have been baking the city, it was instead engulfed in the same thick grey clouds - blocking out the light. Clips show how flashes of lighting would briefly light up the clouds, before going dark once more. A handful of brave drivers battling the elements were spotted sitting atop their cars and waiting for rescue under the black sky, but many more chose to abandon their vehicles and swim to safety.
Hundreds of buildings and shops were destroyed throughout the day, as the large masses of water crashed through windows and sent vehicles sailing through walls. Products were blasted out across the shop floor as water poured from the ceiling, bystanders helpless to act. The deluge flooded the airport - a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates - disrupting flights through the world's busiest hub for international travel.
One couple, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to speak freely in a country with strict laws that criminalise critical speech, called the situation at the airport 'absolute carnage'. The centre did not immediately respond to questions on Wednesday, though flight-tracking data analysed by the Associated Press showed one aircraft affiliated with the UAE's cloud-seeding efforts flew around the country on Sunday.
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.