Dubai authorities on Thursday denied reports that explosions had been heard in the city’s downtown district, after witnesses told Reuters they had heard several unexplained booms.
The Dubai Government Media Office said there had been no sounds of explosions in the area, directly contradicting the initial witness accounts. Authorities did not immediately provide an alternative explanation for what residents may have heard.
There were no official reports of casualties, fires, structural damage or disruption to transport services linked to the alleged incident as of Thursday evening.
The reports briefly raised concern because Downtown Dubai includes some of the emirate’s most prominent commercial, residential and tourist sites, including the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
Videos and claims circulating online could not immediately be independently verified, and no credible footage had emerged showing an explosion or its aftermath in the area.
Dubai and other cities in the United Arab Emirates have experienced missile and drone interception incidents during the wider regional conflict in recent months. In several previous cases, loud sounds heard across the city were attributed by authorities to air-defence operations, while falling debris caused limited damage and injuries.
However, officials had not connected Thursday’s reports to any interception, drone activity or security incident.
The Reuters report was initially based solely on witness accounts before being updated to include the Dubai Media Office’s denial. Reuters said the cause of the reported booms remained unclear.
Residents were advised to rely on official government and emergency-service announcements as authorities sought to counter unverified reports spreading on social media.
No additional statement had been issued by Dubai Police, Dubai Civil Defence or the UAE Ministry of Defence at the time of publication.
