Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, over 100 people from Gujarat stuck in Kuwait on Tuesday urged the Indian Embassy to find “alternative” ways of evacuation since the Kuwait airspace remains closed.
Families on vacation, individuals on business visits and travellers in transit — about 650 Indians are waiting to be evacuated from Kuwait, huddling and ducking at the sounds of the explosions.
Iran unleashed its missile barrages against the Gulf countries which host host American military bases after its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday, the first day of US and Israeli military strikes.
A Gujarat resident, who was on his way to London from Kuwait when the conflict broke out and the airspace was closed, is one among those stranded in Kuwait.
Speaking to The Indian Express over phone from a hotel in Kuwait, where he is currently staying along with his wife, the Gujarat resident, who requested anonymity, said, “The situation is getting worse with each passing hour… There is so much panic around….we can hear continuous explosions. There are about 100 Gujaratis among the 650 Indians stranded here. None of us has even been able to sleep at night…”
Another Indian national from Gujarat, who was on a business visit to Kuwait and scheduled to return on Saturday when the conflict began, says that the shattering sounds of the air strikes in the region have intensified since Monday.
“For the first two days, we were concerned more about the rising cost of food and accommodation… It costs almost 10 or 12 Kuwaiti Dinar per person per meal but we were hopeful it would end soon… But now, we are all on the edge, as if each missile is missing us by a hair’s breadth. The windows are shaking and there is a definite feeling of being in a war zone… Some senior citizens at our hotel also had anxiety attacks and the resident doctors attended to them,” he said.
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On Tuesday afternoon, officials of the Indian Embassy met the stranded Indians and requested them to stay calm. The man in transit to London said, “They told us that the situation continues to be tense and so the evacuations may take time… We told the officials that we were willing to travel to Jeddah by road, as more than 10 flights for evacuations have been scheduled from there. Our only aim is to leave this place and return to India. We are only about 650 persons as per their own numbers and we need just two flights.”
The Indian national said that the Embassy officials told them that it was “unsafe to travel to Jeddah by road”, given the distance from Kuwait to the Saudi Arabian city (about 1,500 km).
On its official handle on X, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait has said, “The Embassy remains fully engaged in assisting Indian passengers stranded in Kuwait due to the temporary shutdown of airspace. Embassy officials are in regular contact with the stranded passengers, and are closely liaising with Kuwaiti authorities, managements of the respective hotels and airlines.”
In UAE to visit new Hindu temple, 200 from Anand stuck in Abu Dhabi
In UAE’s Abu Dhabi, a group of about 200 Indians from Anand district is awaiting evacuation.
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The group, including several senior citizens, had travelled to Abu Dhabi to visit the new Hindu temple and landed there on February 27.
Nisha Dhamecha of Yogi Overseas, who arranged the tour for the group, has reached out to Anand Lok Sabha BJP MP Mitesh Patel seeking assistance in prioritising the evacuation of the group due to the “emotional distress” it has caused the elderly travellers.
“The situation is tense and we need extended accommodation requirements. The passengers have requested early evacuation by the special flights. We are coordinating with several passengers who are stuck in West Asia to ensure that they can return safely..” Mitesh Patel said.
Patel added that he had interacted with the stranded individuals from Anand and advised them to stay calm.
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Mitesh Patel said, “I appealed to the Gujarat residents on video that they should stay strong and courageous and remain in safe places. They should follow the instructions issued by the local administration as well as the Indian Embassy at such times… The government and the Civil Aviation Ministry are watching the situation closely and making arrangements to evacuate Indians as per the safety conditions…”
Vadodara Lok Sabha BJP MP Hemang Joshi has also set up a helpline for stranded residents from his constituency to reach out for assistance. According to Joshi, so far, 278 passengers seeking evacuation, mainly from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have registered through the helpline number.
The situation is getting worse with each passing hour… There is so much panic around as we can hear continuous explosions. There are about 100 Gujaratis among the 650 Indians stranded here
–A man from Gujarat stranded in Kuwait
For the initial two days, we were concerned more about the rising cost of food and accommodation… But now, we are all on the edge, as if each missile is missing us by a hair’s breadth. The windows are shaking and there is a definite feeling of being in a war zone
– Another man from Gujarat
