The United Arab Emirates is attempting to dry out after the heaviest rain ever recorded in the desert nation.
The deluge flooded Dubai International Airport, disrupting flights through the world’s busiest hub for international travel – including routes to and from Glasgow.
Streets in Dubai and other emirates were flooded and vehicles stranded as the rainfall surpassed the usual amount for one year in the region.
The state-run WAM news agency called the rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949”.
1. Submerged streets
A flooded street following heavy rains in Sharjah. Dubai, the Middle East's financial centre, has been paralysed by the torrential rain that caused floods across the UAE and Bahrain and left 18 dead in Oman earlier this week. Photo: AHMED RAMAZAN
2. Airport chaos
Hundreds of people wait at Dubai World Central airport because of flooding caused by the heaviest rain ever recorded in the desert nation. Photo: Paul Lidwith/PA
3. Stranded vehicles
A man crosses a flooded street following heavy rains in Sharjah, UAE. Photo: AHMED RAMAZAN
4. Barefoot
Men prepare to cross a flooded street following heavy rains in Sharjah, UAE, where there has been the worst rainfall in history. Photo: AHMED RAMAZAN