At least seven people have been killed in the United Arab Emirates after unseasonable downpours triggered flash flooding in eastern districts of the normally parched Gulf state, authorities said.

“We regret to announce that six people of Asian nationalities have been found dead as a result of the floods,” the interior ministry’s chief of central operations, Ali al-Tunaiji, said.

The ministry later announced the death of a seventh Asian migrant.

July temperatures in the UAE regularly hit 40 degrees Celsius but its east coast can also be affected by the Indian Ocean monsoon.

When torrential rain falls on sun-baked earth, it can lead to flash flooding.

The emergency services said they had answered hundreds of calls for help over the past two days as the floodwaters swamped the streets of the port city of Fujairah and other eastern districts.