Indian badminton star PV Sindhu shared her first-hand frightening experience of being stranded at the Dubai airport over the weekend as the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. Taking to her official X account early Sunday morning, the sports icon wrote online that the worst was far from over as major landmarks in UAE’s tourist hotspot suffered the ravages of the ongoing military onslaught. (Check our live coverage for US-Israel war on Iran here.)

Scenes from Dubai Airport: PV Sindhu shares ordeal

“The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour,” Sindhu began her post on X.

Offering personal insight into the scenes unfolding at the Dubai International Airport, Sindhu confirmed that there had been an explosion close to where she and her coach “were holed up.” Detailing the frightening picture of what she had to go through, the badminton player wrote, “My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us.”

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As per her recent X update, Sindhu and her team is currently safe and has moved to a “more secure place.” She expressed her gratitude to the staff at Dubai Airport and other official authorities for their “tireless efforts” to help them. “A special thanks as well to the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their incredible support and constant assistance in helping keep us safe,” she tweeted further.

“For now, we are trying to get some rest and hold on to hope as we wait for things to settle.”

A few hours before her recent tweet, Sindhu had penned another post, expressing her undying love for Dubai, especially since the city had always made her feel safe and full of life.

“To everyone who has been messaging and checking in, thank you, it truly means a lot. I am safe right now, stuck here in Dubai with my team, and we are doing okay as the situation around the war with Iran continues to evolve,” she wrote at the time. “The Airport is chaotic, with many families stranded and waiting, all of us just hoping we get past this soon.”

Sindhu had even shared visuals of the chaos unfolding at the crowded airport via her Instagram Stories on Saturday.

Dubai becomes Iran’s target

Dubai airport, which is the world’s busiest for international traffic, became yet another target of Iran’s retaliatory efforts, which also took a toll on the world-famous luxury hotel Fairmont The Palm and Jebel Ali seaport. More footage emerging from Dubai, which shares a significantly close and friendship relationship with the US, even showed Iranian missiles flying near the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Merely a few hours ago, the Dubai Media Office confirmed that the unprecedented attacks in the city had damaged a concourse at Dubai International Airport (DXB). Authorities had immediately jumped on the task to contain the situation.

“Emergency response teams were immediately deployed and are managing the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities. Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention,” the Dubai Media Office said in a statement on X.

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“Due to contingency plans already in place, most of the terminals were previously cleared of passengers. Further updates will be provided as they become available.”

Terror looms over Middle East

Much of the Middle East has been engulfed by fears of uncertainty amid the ongoing turmoil. The latest wave of military strikes have left states in the region no choice but to shut down their airspace for the time being.

At least 8 countries, including Iran, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait have followed through, prompting major travel hindrances across the globe. Syria also announced it had closed part of its airspace in the south along its border with Israel for 12 hours.