Dubai live updates: Scary videos of smoke coming out of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, surfaced on social media amid the US-Iran conflict. This comes as a fire incident was reported in the city’s famous Palm Jumeirah area, as per authorities. At least four individuals are confirmed to have sustained injuries and were transferred to medical facilities, the Dubai Media Office reported.
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What happened at Burj Khalifa?
On Saturday, reports of Burj Khalifa being evacuated surfaced. But there is no confirmation. UAE political analyst Ahmed Sharif, however, noted that the building has not been evacuated.
“Burj Khalifa is not evacuated,” Sharif wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Now, videos claiming the Burj was hit have surfaced. “A Drone Hit the Burj Khalifa of Dubai. Iran also did hit Dubai Mall next to Burj Khalifa,” a person tweeted, attaching a video.
“Iranian missile struck close to Burj Khalifa in UAE,” another person added.
However, locals posted videos showing no damage to the building.
UAE’s Ministry of Defence issues statement
The Defence Ministry, meanwhile, stated that the country’s air defence systems successfully intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones.
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“The Ministry of Defence announced that UAE air defence systems intercepted and destroyed a new wave of Iranian missiles and drones launched towards the country. It noted that the operation was carried out with high efficiency and with limited material damage,” it said.
“The Ministry also stated that missiles were intercepted by the UAE Air Defence system, and debris have fallen on several areas in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. No injuries have been reported.”
Chaos at Dubai Airport
Arrivals and departure boards at Dubai International Airport initially showed major delays that quickly cascaded into a full suspension. Emirates canceled all flights until 3 am on Sunday, Qatar Airways halted operations until midnight, and Etihad Airways extended the suspension even longer, until Sunday afternoon.
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies. Carriers including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie and Lufthansa announced widespread cancellations.
(With AFP inputs)