British Tourists Forced into Underground Shelters as Iranian Missiles Strike Dubai
As Iranian missiles continue to target locations across the Middle East, British tourists stranded in Dubai have shared harrowing accounts of taking refuge in underground car parks and repurposed nightclubs. The Daily Mail has spoken to several Britons who are experiencing extreme anxiety while sheltering from the ongoing attacks.
Panic and Disruption as Strikes Intensify
Tourists have posted numerous videos showing drones and debris hitting luxury hotels over the weekend. Many establishments have escorted their guests from panoramic suites and marbled rooms into safer underground areas, including car parks and service corridors. Social media footage reveals holidaymakers scattered across concrete floors, lying on mattresses or thin blankets for protection.
One hotel has now set up temporary beds in its car park because so many tourists have chosen to sleep there rather than remain in their rooms, which feel dangerously exposed to potential strikes.
Personal Accounts of Terror and Uncertainty
Stacey Gibson, 32, and her partner Charles Wright, 34, from Surrey, were awakened this morning by two loud bangs as more missiles were intercepted over the United Arab Emirates. "We're in fight or flight mode," Ms Gibson explained. "Every noise that you hear, every little thing, we're jumping, and asking, what's that? Do we need to move?"
The couple have been sleeping in a basement car park at the Mileo Hotel for several nights, having been traumatized after a nearby hotel was struck. They were in a taxi heading to the airport to return home after a week-long birthday trip when the attacks first began.
"We heard this almighty bang, it shivered through our feet. We looked at the cab driver, and he didn't know what it was," Ms Gibson recalled. "At the airport it was mayhem. There were so many cars and when we went in we saw everything was cancelled or delayed on the departures board."
Widespread Travel Chaos and Cancellations
The Foreign Office has issued updated travel advice for Britons heading to the Middle East as thousands of flights have been cancelled in what is being described as the worst crisis for global air travel since the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 1,500 flights destined for the Middle East have been axed worldwide, disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.
This includes British citizens attempting to return to the UK via major hub airports in Dubai and Qatar. More than a third of flights scheduled to depart from the UK to the region today were cancelled, with British Airways and easyJet calling off several services to Cyprus following drone attacks on RAF Akrotiri.
Continued Danger and Shelter Scenarios
Since the initial attacks, Ms Gibson has been unable to contact her airline, Emirates. The couple are now staying near Fairmont The Palm, a hotel that was struck by shrapnel and caught fire on Saturday after an intercepted attack.
"I had come downstairs from our room to order some dinner," Ms Gibson explained. "As I walked back to the lift, there was a bang from where the Fairmont was hit. The back doors to our hotel flung open. A gush of wind swept me off my feet and the whole building shook."
After this blast, guests were instructed to return to their rooms, but Ms Gibson and others were too frightened. "Since then, everyone has been sleeping in the car park of the hotel," she said.
Financial Concerns and Hotel Support
The couple had only budgeted for their week-long holiday and were worried about accommodation costs. Fortunately, their hotel manager extended their stay free of charge and even gave up his own room to shelter another family with children. Ms Gibson and Mr Wright have registered with the Foreign Office but have received no further communication.
When Ms Gibson contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on Sunday to ask whether it would be safer to move inland away from the targeted Palm Jumeirah island, she was frustrated to find the call operator unable to provide specific guidance.
Potential Evacuation Plans and Ongoing Fears
Ms Gibson learned from a friend about government plans for a potential land evacuation to areas with open airspace, such as Saudi Arabia. "I'm glad to know we'll be getting out one way or another," she said. "But the worry is still there. Saudi Arabia is a long drive away and we're concerned about falling debris."
Other Stranded Tourists Share Their Experiences
Denise Waterman, 65, who is stranded in Dubai with two friends, desperately wants to return home safely to her children and newborn grandson. The singer, best known as one-third of the 1980s band Tight Fit, is trying to maintain good spirits while awaiting a flight out.
Within her hotel confines, Ms Waterman, who lives in Wandsworth, south-west London, described a strange sense of normality despite regular sounds of missiles being intercepted nearby. "It's all very surreal to be sitting at a pool with music blasting," she said. "Who'd have thought I'd be stuck in Dubai, with Rick Astley playing and bombs going off around me?"
"Every now and then you hear a bang, but it's almost like it's normal now. You can't enjoy your holiday though. It's not a holiday any more, it's a waiting game." Regarding potential evacuation over land, Ms Waterman stated: "We're happy with any safe route, so long as it means we can get the hell out."
Nightclub Turned Shelter
On Saturday evening, guests at Ms Waterman's hotel were directed to shelter from strikes in a nightclub called Bling located beneath the building. "They got rid of all the alcohol, and the room was filled with everyone - kids, older people," she recounted. "It was a crazy scenario. They brought down chips and water, and a few games, Jenga and god knows what else, which nobody picked up of course."
Ms Waterman and her friends, Amanda Lyod and Tracey Brimfield from South Wales, were originally due to fly back on Sunday. "We couldn't get hold of the airline by hook or by crook until I took to social media to complain," she said. Emirates has rescheduled their tickets for a flight due to depart on Tuesday, but they remain skeptical it will proceed and fear they may need to contact the airline yet again to rebook.
