Dubai: Some cars reportedly stalled after refuelling at a Dubai petrol station where water was said to be in some fuel pumps on Sunday.
At least five motorists called police to Emarat’s Ibn Battuta station where they said they had refuelled in the morning.
Apparently only those who requested the Super variety were affected. It was not immediately clear what caused the breakdowns.
The station manager declined to comment. Emarat could not be reached for a response on Sunday afternoon.
Staff could be seen probing underground fuel storage spaces at around 2.30pm. One motorist said the problems started as early as 8.45am.
There were at least four stalled cars — a Jaguar, Mercedes, Land Cruiser and a minivan — when Gulf News visited the station. Police could be seen taking reports from complainants.
An affected motorist said they were later asked to visit Jebel Ali police station and follow up on Monday.
One motorist, who did not wish to be named, said his car stalled soon after leaving the station. He had it towed to a garage where a mechanic confirmed there was water in the tank and engine.
Another motorist said he called a mechanic over after his car broke down a few hundred feet from the station — who also blamed it on water in the tank.
Other cars’ engines had also reportedly ‘died’ soon after pulling out of the station on Shaikh Zayed Road.
“There were a few of us on the hard shoulder of the road. We had seen each other refuelling at the station. When my mechanic came over and said there was water in the tank, we decided to tow our cars back,” said one motorist.
The motorists included Indians, a Westerner and an Arab.
One driver said: “The station staff ignored us at first. They should have closed down the pumps immediately after the first complaint to investigate what was going on.”
He added: “Other motorists suffered because staff didn’t take the earliest complaints seriously and continued to operate the pumps for at least two hours between 9am and 11am.”
A third motorist said his car insurer told him to get in touch with the petrol station’s insurance carrier “because it’s not the driver’s fault”.
He added: “More people whose cars stopped will come back after they get their cars checked and if they find a watery solution in the tank.”
