Hundreds of Indians stranded in Dubai, other hub airports after military escalation in West Asia

New Delhi: As flight operations to and from West Asia remain disrupted after the US and Israel's attack on Iran, hundreds of Indians are stranded in Dubai and other key hub airports, with many of them taking to social media to appeal to the Indian government for assistance.

Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, JD(S) MLC from Karnataka S L Bhojegowda and his family, Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly along with her son, tourists and student groups are among those held up in Dubai.

More than 700 people from Madhya Pradesh, including two former MLAs, are stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to flight cancellations, an office-bearer of a travel agents' outfit said on Sunday.

They had travelled to the UAE for tourism and business purposes, Amol Kataria, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India's MP unit, told PTI.

Kataria said former MLA and BJP leader Sanjay Shukla is among those stranded in Dubai.

"Due to the current international situation, our return to India today could not take place as Dubai airport was temporarily closed. We are receiving full cooperation from the Dubai administration and the Government of India. We will return to Indore as soon as the situation normalises," Shukla's post on social media said. He said that his elder son is also with him.

The BJP leader also posted a video on social media, in which he is seen pointing out of a window to the smoke billowing after an explosion a few kilometres away.

Following the attack by the US and Israel, Iran launched retaliatory military strikes targeting Israel and American military bases across the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

"The situation here has become bad. You can see that a bomb just exploded. All traffic has stopped. People here are being alerted and asked to stay in their rooms," Shukla said.

He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the safe return of Indians stranded in Dubai.

Indore MP Shankar Lalwani said several people from the city were stuck in the UAE, and the Ministry of External Affairs has been informed about this. "As soon as the situation normalises, efforts will be made to bring these people back to India from the UAE," he said JD(S) MLC from Karnataka, S L Bhojegowda, and his family are among those stranded in Dubai.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government is in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs in connection with efforts to bring people back safely. "I spoke to Bhoje Gowda. He said he is safe and is staying at a hotel," Siddaramaiah said.

"We are also in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs. We are making efforts to bring everyone back safely without causing any inconvenience. All of them are Kannadigas. From Ballari, some 35 people are stuck. The total is 52, including people from other states. We will make efforts to bring all of them back," the chief minister said.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Centre was making continuous efforts to ensure the safe return of Indians. "Currently, the situation there is turbulent. Even flying a plane there is dangerous,” he said.

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and her coach were left stranded at Dubai International Airport after flight operations were suspended. The Indonesian coach, Irwansyah Adi Pratama, had a narrow escape after an explosion occurred close to where they were stationed at Dubai Airport while travelling to Birmingham for the All England Championships.

Sindhu on Sunday morning described the tense moments on social media.

"The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour. A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport," she wrote on social media.

Popular Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly and her son Yuvaan are held up in Dubai, her husband, film director-producer and Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty, said.

The actor and their son are currently staying at a hotel in Palm Jumeirah. "There was an explosion near their hotel. The authorities there have issued instructions asking people not to step out of their homes," Chakraborty told PTI.

Neeru Garg, who is the principal of SSD Girls College in Punjab's Bathinda, said she, along with her family, is in Sharjah without cash or essential medicines.

"It was a five-day trip, and thinking it was the last day of the trip (Saturday), we even exhausted all our money (currency in Dirham) as we were preparing to return on the IndiGo flight, which was booked for Amritsar," she said in a video shared on social media on Saturday.

Garg appealed to the Union government for immediate assistance to help evacuate her and other Indian passengers.

She and some other Indian travellers said they were stuck at the Sharjah International Airport.

"We had completed all formalities, but when we came for a security check at 1.30 pm, they asked us to come at 2.30 pm. At 2 pm, they informed us that all flights had been cancelled,” she added.

Garg claimed that upon asking airport authorities regarding where they should stay, as there was no arrangement for accommodation, they were not given any further information.

"We request the Government of India to hear us out, as many passengers are stuck, and there is panic. People are harassed, many are sick, but no one here is listening to us," she said.

Eighty-four MBA students from a Pune-based Indira School of Business Studies (ISBS), who had gone to Dubai as part of an annual five-day study tour, have been unable to return due to the closure of airspace.

The students of ISBS are safe and shifted to a hotel, ISBS Dean Janardhan Pawar said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued an advisory to foreign nationals held up in India due to the ongoing developments in West Asia, asking them to contact their nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) if they require assistance with visa extensions or need to regularise their stay.