Heavy wind topples crane in Dubai

A construction crane toppled over on Friday afternoon, injuring one person and damaging a number of cars and a hotel as strong winds battered Dubai, reports say.

Pictures and videos posted on social media showed part of the crane had landed on top of the entrance to the Nassima Royal Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, causing what appeared to be severe damage.

“A crane has collapsed on Sheikh Zayed Road. Authorities are handling the situation to ensure safety of everyone on site,” Dubai Media Office confirmed on its Twitter account.

“Initial report of casualties one injured & evacuated to hospital for treatment. 3 cars on fire & Civil Defence teams are dealing with the blaze,” it added in a follow up tweet.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) partially closed the metro system as a precaution after flying debris from the crane accident landed on the tracks. However operations returned to normal within hours.

The freak weather conditions caused a number of major events to be postponed on Friday including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament and the Dubai Tour cycle race.