A plane on the tarmac at Aden International Airport, where a severe storm hit on Monday. AFP
A plane on the tarmac at Aden International Airport, where a severe storm hit on Monday. AFP
A plane on the tarmac at Aden International Airport, where a severe storm hit on Monday. AFP
A plane on the tarmac at Aden International Airport, where a severe storm hit on Monday. AFP

Gulf

Powerful storm at Yemen's Aden airport injures six

Footage shared on social media shows glass falling on women and children

Ali Mahmood
Ali Mahmood

July 24, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

A powerful storm hit Aden International Airport in southern Yemen in the early hours on Monday, injuring a number of passengers and causing chaos in the terminal.

A thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds and rain struck the airport’s terminal while passengers were boarding a flight from Aden to Jeddah.

The injuries came when glass panels broke and fell on people in the airport.

"Six individuals, among them children, sustained injuries when the glass facade of the departure building collapsed upon them," Ministry of Transport media officer Adel Homran told The National.

He said all those injured were taken to hospital.

Videos shared on social media showed women and children screaming as the storm hit the departure hall, causing the glass exterior of the building to collapse on them.

The storm caused considerable damage and authorities were forced to delay flights, in some cases for hours.

"The thunderstorm caused huge damage on two aircraft in addition to the external fence of the airport, the departures building and some other equipment in the airport, including firefighting trucks," a source at the airport told The National.

Yemeni Minister of Transport Abdulsalam Humaid assessed the damage alongside general director of the airport Abdulraqib Al Omari.

Mr Humaid said the ministry would pay for the medical treatment of the injured.

The airport resumed operations after the powerful storm, the ministry said, confirming the Aden-Jeddah flight had taken off later in the day. Other domestic and international flights were set to take off later on Monday as scheduled.

The thunderstorm caused havoc in Aden, a city currently serving as the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government after Houthi rebels took over the capital city of Sanaa in 2014. Exteriors of hotels, buildings and shops were damaged, as well as several vehicles, mainly in the Khourmaksar district of the city.

A weather warning was issued by authorities to Aden residents, especially those living near the coast and in the highlands, as heavy rainfall was expected to continue for hours.

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Cheat’s nigiri 
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This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.

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This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Thanksgiving meals to try

World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.

Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as  well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.

The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.

Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.

Updated: July 24, 2023, 10:52 AM
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