The first flight carrying Indian passengers stranded in Abu Dhabi due to the ongoing crisis in West Asia landed in Delhi on Monday, March 2. Emotional scenes were witnessed at IGI Airport as people finally reunited with their families after being stuck in hotels for days. Many passengers spoke about the tense moments they experienced, describing “scary” explosions and missiles being intercepted in the sky.

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Passengers recall fearful moments

“I have seen missiles striking and bombs exploding for sometime. The missile exploded when we left the hotel and then we panicked. We ran and escaped that place,” a returnee told news agency PTI.

Another passenger said the situation has now improved, but what he saw earlier was frightening. “Now the situation is better but I have seen drone attacks and I could actually seen those along with missiles intercepting 2 days ago from my hotel lobby,” he said, adding that he was stuck there for two days.

A third passenger shared that he was at the airport in Abu Dhabi when it was attacked. “The airport was attacked and I was there. We were very scared and had no clue what was going to happen,” he told PTI.

“The airspace is really large there and missiles are intercepting. The debris fell and caused some injury. You can actually feel the missiles intercepting there constantly. Today we somehow managed to fly back,” another passenger said. 

Several passengers also thanked the authorities for arranging their return. “Obviously we did get stressed due to all the bombing and explosions. But now we back in India and feeling safe,” one of them said.

Family members waiting at the airport said it was a huge relief to see their loved ones return safely after facing such a dangerous situation in the Middle East.

Millions of Indians in the Gulf and West Asia

Around 9 million Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. Nearly 10,000 Indian citizens live, study, or work in Iran, while more than 40,000 are in Israel. At present, much of the West Asian airspace is nearly closed, according to PTI. 

Because of the military escalation in the region, flight services have been disrupted, leaving hundreds of Indians stranded in Dubai, Doha, and other major airports. Many have taken to social media, urging the Indian government to help them return home.

Government reviews safety situation

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which met on Sunday, expressed concern over the safety of the large Indian community in the region. It asked all concerned departments to take necessary and possible steps to help Indian nationals affected by the situation. “It (CCS) expressed serious concern over the safety and security of the large Indian expatriate community in the region,” an official statement said after the meeting.

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India has previously carried out successful evacuation operations from conflict-hit regions, including West Asia. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian missions across the region are in regular contact with citizens and that helplines have been activated to assist them.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States on Saturday. His death was confirmed on Sunday. US President Donald Trump said the heavy and pinpoint bombing on Iran would continue through the week or for as long as necessary.