A Cumbrian English teacher visiting family in Dubai has described hearing missiles flying overhead and feeling the ground shake from explosions as hostilities break out in the Middle East.
Leroy Johnson, of Carlisle, had flown out to Dubai to visit family living in the region and was due to fly home yesterday morning.
His flight is one of thousands of cancelled flights in the region after Iran launched retaliatory attacks on the Gulf states following US and Israeli strikes that began early on Saturday.
Leroy said his family were in the pool at their hotel in Dubai Creek when they first heard loud bangs overhead on Saturday.
He said: “We were aware that something was about to happen on Friday evening, as my son had a news alert about a notification of civilians to evacuate Israel.
“Then on Saturday morning we were in the pool and we could hear loud bangs and missiles flying overhead.
“We received an emergency alert to all of our phones to stay indoors on Saturday evening.”
Leroy added that his family had heard what they believed to be fighter jets and had felt tremors from explosions in the distance.
He said: “There were some really loud explosions coming from a distance away on Sunday, which shook the ground.
“There were missile interceptions overhead over the course of the afternoon and there have been fighter jets flying above and bangs from a distance.”
Leroy said he has not heard anything yet from his airline other than information to say the airspace will remain closed until further notice.
He added: “Everything seems eerily quiet for the time being but we are keeping up to date.”
Thousands of flights have been grounded to and from the Middle East, with airports in Tel Aviv, Dubai, Doha and other international hubs severely impacted.
It is being considered one of the most serious disruptions to global travel since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK Foreign Office has warned British citizens against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
People in the regions have also been advised to take shelter in place and follow instructions from local authorities.
No official plans for the evacuation of UK nationals have yet been put forward by the Government.
If you have been impacted by the disruption or you are currently stuck in the region, we want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]
