Intense rains, powerful winds and sandstorms wreak havoc in Qatar
Intense rains accompanied by powerful winds and sandstorms wreaked havoc in Qatar over the past few days.
On May 1, severe storms destroyed a field hospital at the Umm Salal area, north of Doha. It was constructed just two weeks ago, specifically for accommodating patients with coronavirus. As of May 1, Qatar has a total of 14 096 COVID-19 cases.
A video posted by Arab News showed violent winds ripping through the establishment. The aftermath was captured in another video, showing the hospital shredded in crumbles, with a few people captured running away from the area.
In a separate incident, two expansion tents at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital collapsed after winds of 72 km/h (45 mph) hit the area, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
The tents were part of the hospital's expansion for coronavirus patients. 23 staff members sustained injuries, mostly minor, but were immediately treated. All patients were unharmed and had been transferred to the hospital in Ras Laffan.
72 -kilometre-per-hour storm and heavy rain in #Qatar caused two tents at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital (HMGH) to collapse.
23 staff members injured; No patient hurt as storm blows COVID-19 unit’s tent off at Qatar's HMG Hospital https://t.co/txlHWVFnCm #DohaRain #Covid19 pic.twitter.com/olzb7HcRgN
— Qatar Day- Pulse of Nation (@qatarday) May 1, 2020
Field hospital in Qatar which was built to treat #Covid_19 patients collapsed. The richest country in world..Just thinking where the millions of are going #Bahrain #coronavirus #StayHome #LabourDay2020 #LabourDay pic.twitter.com/R7mPAajcsF
— Elite (@Eliteelite18) May 1, 2020
Coronavirus field hospital after a rainy day in Qatar This is where 2022 FIFA world cup will take place #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/WbpTASHVvB
— Hadeel Oueis (@hadeelOueiss) April 30, 2020
Executive director Hussein Ishaq said they took the incident very seriously, and an investigation is underway. "I want to express my appreciation to all the HMGH staff who heroically helped ensure that no patients were injured and were safely transferred to other hospitals to continue receiving care."
On April 30, the 787 Qatar Airways dreamer was blown away by strong winds, causing it to crash into another parked plane.
It happened yesterday, April 30 in Doha: a parked 787 Dreamliner Qatar Airways was pushed into a parked A350 by strong winds during a storm. Video received from a friend. @jonostrower @AirlineFlyer @winglets747 @brandonsblog @WandrMe @SpaethFlies @flightradar24 @MaxK_J @A350Blog pic.twitter.com/7zojpTQo0X
— Aeronews (@AeronewsGlobal) May 1, 2020
Heavy rain with storm in qatar pic.twitter.com/viHBglSVzH
— يہ تو ھوگا Sharry (@CptFiasal) April 30, 2020
#qatar today the storm was real pic.twitter.com/Y9TQ81k5SX
— Hood (@theaahood) April 30, 2020
"During extreme weather conditions, with storms and high winds of 70 knots, a parked Qatar Airways 787-800 briefly shifted from its chocks and made contact with a QR A350-900," the airline said in a statement.
"The aircraft had been parked securely and chocked in accordance with AMM (aircraft maintenance manual) guidelines while operations at the airport had been temporarily suspended due to the high winds."
"No passengers or crew were on board at the time and the aircraft suffered only minor damage."
The weather has become milder by Friday evening, according to the Qatar Meteorological Department.
Featured image credit: Hadeel Oueis
If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.
Your support makes a difference
Dear valued reader,
We hope that our website has been a valuable resource for you.
The reality is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to maintain and grow this website. We rely on the support of readers like you to keep providing high-quality content.
If you have found our website to be helpful, please consider making a contribution to help us continue to bring you the information you need. Your support means the world to us and helps us to keep doing what we love.
Support us by choosing your support level – Silver, Gold or Platinum. Other support options include Patreon pledges and sending us a one-off payment using PayPal.
Thank you for your consideration. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Teo Blašković
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:
We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.