Dubai says New Year’s Eve celebrations were ‘accident free’

The Dubai Police General HQ said more than 2 million people enjoyed spectacular fireworks displays and events with “well-organised security procedures” ensuring no accidents were reported.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, extended his thanks to everyone via his twitter account.

He said: “Dubai celebrated the arrival of the world in 2020 yesterday. More than two million people celebrated on the streets of Dubai. About a billion people also saw their celebrations. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the organization, the transportation, the protection, the media, and the provision of safety for all. Thanks to the Dubai team.”

Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri hailed the efforts of the events security committee for its “high level of professional performance”.

Emaar, the master developer of the Burj Khalifa, attracted an audience of over 2 billion people from across the globe with its New Year’s Eve show on the world’s tallest building.

The show was the longest set of consecutive fireworks in the history of the Burj Khalifa NYE shows, timed at over five minutes. The show featured a total of 1,371 kg of fireworks, which were placed across a colossal 207 firing locations.

The highly anticipated event welcomed over one million onlookers in Downtown Dubai, Emaar’s flagship mega-development, to witness 15,000 choreographed fireworks showcasing 48 pyrotechnic patterns, signalling the start of a new decade.