Dubai International Airport (DXB) was evacuated on Saturday night after an Iranian explosive ‘Shahed’ kamikaze drone struck one of the terminal buildings, preliminary information indicates, injuring at least four people.
In a seperate incident at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), officials confirmed that an Asian national was killed and seven other people were injured.
Video now being widely shown on social media shows passengers and staff being ordered to hurriedly leave Terminal 3 at DXB as alarms blared in the background. There are also distressing scenes of bloodied passengers running through the terminal.
There are other unverified videos of smoke and debris in other parts of the airport, including a gate area and outside a Duty Free store.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Dubai Airports confirmed “that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.”
The statement continued: “Emergency response teams were immediately deployed and are managing the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities. Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention.”
“Due to contingency plans already in place, most of the terminals were previously cleared of passengers. Further updates will be provided as they become available.”
All flights in and out of Dubai have been grounded for most of Saturday after Iran launched widespread missile and drone attacks across the region, including on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
DXB is the home hub of mega airline Emirates and normally handles an average of nearly 261,000 passengers every single day. Emirates has suspended all flights until further notice, referencing the escalating security situation.
There are also unconfirmed reports that Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) was targeted by Iranian drones on Saturday night. Earlier on Saturday, an Iranian Shahed drone struck Kuwait International Airport, causing damage to the airport and injuring several workers.
There had been tens of thousands of passengers stranded in airports across the region due to the widespread flight cancellations, but it remains unclear how many passengers were still stuck inside terminal buildings on Saturday night.
Dubai is being bombarded with missiles and drones on Saturday, with other social media reports suggesting a direct hit on the world-famous Burj al Arab hotel.
This is a developing story.
