Traffic comes to a halt as it starts raining MONEY in Dubai: Cash worth more than half a million pounds blows through the city

Making it rain: This is the incredible moment people abandoned their cars and ran into the streets of Dubai after a strong wind carried hundreds of 500AED notes (£88) through the city

Motorists driving through Dubai could not believe their eyes when it started raining money in the middle of the UAE city.

Thousands of 500 UAE Dirham notes - worth around £88 - flew through the oil-rich city on a busy afternoon earlier this month, and officials have yet to give an explanation as to why, or reveal a source of the cash.

Drivers abandoned their cars in order to get their hands on the notes blowing down the road, and were filmed holding handfuls of notes. 

It is estimated that notes valued between two and three million Dirham were loose - meaning up to £500,000 was blowing in the wind. 

The notes were carried by strong winds through the Jumeirah area of Dubai for several minutes, but locals have got no idea where it came from.

One surprised local described how his wife pulled over her car to film motorists dodging cash collectors on a busy stretch of highway in the city. 

A lot of people were getting out of there care to grab this month. 

'It doesn't happen every day. Everyone was amazing this was happening.'

The baffling incident happened at around 3pm on February 11 and locals have no explanation.

Police later arrived at the area and ushered people away, local media reports. More pics after the cut......

Paved with gold: It is not known where the money came from, and no explanation has been given to locals

If you got money and you know it: Traffic came to a halt as drivers ran out to pick up notes which lined the streets of the oil-rich Arab Emirate city

The notes were carried by strong winds through the Jumeirah area of the plush city for several minutes