A huge pipe used to carry treated water for irrigation burst in Dubai's Ras Al Khor district early last evening, flooding a large part the road and inundating cars with water.
Police and rescuers reported no injuries. But at least 13 cars were stalled in the area, according to 1st Lt Husein Al Rahoumi, acting head of the Rescue Unit of the Dubai Police.
Eyewitnesses and police officers who rushed to the site said the 1.2-metre pipe burst around 5 pm. The cause of the incident is not yet known.
However, Abdullah Rafi'a, Director of the Drainage and Irrigation Department of Dubai Municipality, said that a contracting company doing civil works and excavation may have damaged the pipe accidentally.
According to Rafi'a, the contractor is laying a water pipe network for the Food and Vegetable Market in Al Awir.
The water supply to the rest of Dubai, however, was not affected, Rafi'a said. Workers from the Municipality and the Police were seen working late into the night to pump out the water from the flooded streets.
Workers from Dubai Municapility and the Police Rescue Department brought in several mobile water pumps to ease the flooding.
"This created a mini-lake out of a nearby empty lot where the water was pumped out. Hours after the incident, however, the road lights were still on at the accident site, endangering the lives of those who were in the area with electrocution".
Sabil Almas Khamis, whose car was stuck in the flood, told Gulf News: "I was coming from Dubai to Al Awir driving on the middle lane.
"Suddenly, huge waves of water came gushing right smack towards my car. It was a horrifying experience. I thought I'm in some kind of a weird movie."
The water started filling up his car, which started to wobble. The strong current created by the stream actually carried his car two lanes away, towards the road barrier. "It's a miracle that I managed to escape," said Sabil.
Ibrahim, a UAE national driving a car on the other side of the road, stopped and came towards the flooded area and helped some people to safety.
At the time of the accident, people were seen sitting on top of their cars, waiting to be rescued.Rona Holtzhausen, another eyewitness, said: "I had dropped my son at the City Centre and was heading home at 5.30pm when I got stuck in this huge traffic jam. The cars in front of me were stalling and I saw the floodwaters rising.
"The scene was one of total chaos. I couldn't move my car and the water just kept rising. Before I knew it, I couldn't open the door. I had to climb out of the window."
Lt Al Rahoumi said that the road barriers had no gaps, which could have provided an outlet for the water to flow out into other areas.
"The quick action of some of the policemen and ordinary folks who rushed to the scene and dismantled some of the road barriers helped ease the problem and prevented the water from rising further," he said.
Gulf News
