A man from Berkshire on holiday in Dubai says the situation is ‘surreal’ following attacks from Iran.
Simon Rourke, from Swallowfield near Reading, is currently in the country with friends.
His hotel was struck by an Iranian drone at the weekend.
Luckily, they were in the desert at the time, but when they returned to the hotel they found one of the rooms they were staying in obliterated.
They, along with others, were then rushed to a different hotel and then down to the basement to wait out the strikes, and ended up spending a whole night sheltering from the Iranian attack.
Simon and his friends travelled to Dubai for a holiday Credit: Simon Rourke
Everyone was okay, and Simon told ITV Meridian the entire situation was ‘surreal’. He said: “It was very frightening, one of our rooms was obliterated, but luckily the rest were okay.
“We weren’t allowed into the hotel for a few hours, so we had to go and wait in the lobby of another hotel. Then we got sent to the basement of the hotel before we eventually got back into here.
“It was all surreal, we didn’t really think of the seriousness of it. We were sat on the balcony having a drink and enjoying ourselves, and you could see the drones being intercepted further out and going off. It was like little fireworks.
“And then a missile came straight past the front of the hotel and exploded further down the road, so at that point it was very obvious what was happening.
“So, we went to the basement and spent the night in the basement along with the rest of the hotel.”
Guests were told to shelter in the basement Credit: Simon Rourke
Simon and his friends were due to fly back to the UK today (Monday 2 March), but with all flights between the UK and the UAE cancelled, they’re currently stuck in the country.
They have been told it could be another week until they can fly home. But, despite the delay, they’re staying positive.
Simon added: “We’re all self-employed, we all own our own companies, we’re all sort of older men, so we’re okay.
“It’s just everyone’s loved ones are sort of phoning through and worrying and trying to find ways of getting us home. There’s been talk of renting four-wheel drives and driving through the desert.”
Pictures show long queues in Dubai airport Credit: Daniel Moon
Daniel Moon, from Brighton, travelled to Dubai last Wednesday. He was due to fly back to Heathrow this morning with British Airways, but the flight was cancelled.
He’s in good spirits despite the ongoing disruption, caused by the Iranian attacks.
However, Daniel is diabetic, and relies on insulin to manage his condition. He can get more in Dubai, but it isn’t an easy process, leaving him a little concerned about how long they may be stuck in the country.
He’s waiting on British Airways to book him onto a flight, which could be in a few days, or a few weeks.
Daniel Moon is currently stranded in Dubai Credit: Daniel Moon
He said: “I’m diabetic. So I’ve got insulin and everything here, but I’m on my last five days.
“So I don’t really want to be here more than five days. I’m going to have to spend a lot and find a doctor for medical stuff.
“But it is the stress of not knowing how and when we’re going to get home. And the wait for that, you know, a plane from Heathrow and crews have got to get here, you know, they’ve got to plan at least a day in advance.
“So it’s the stress of just being stuck here and the worry going to run out of medicine if we’re going to be more than the next four or five days.”
Flights from London Heathrow and London Gatwick to many Arab countries remain suspended, following the attacks, which began at the weekend.
Airspace above multiple countries in the Middle East is closed, disrupting hundreds of thousands of airline passengers globally.
British Airways, which flies from Heathrow, said it is ‘closely monitoring the situation’ and has cancelled ‘a number of our flights to the Middle East’.
Virgin Atlantic also axed two flights to Heathrow on Monday, one from each of Dubai, UAE and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while others were rerouted.
Qatar Airways said on Monday morning that all its flights remain suspended.
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