The ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran has left thousands of Indians in West Asia reeling under fear as Iran targeted the US bases in the Gulf countries on Sunday.
In one such retaliatory firing, Tehran targeted Al Salem Air base of the US, which is located in an industrial area in Kuwait.
Eyewitnesses say a missile or drone from Iran was intercepted and blasted in the air, and the remnants fell on a bus that was transporting workers to a job site in Kuwait. According to Prashant Babariya, 30, a Surat-based engineer working with an oil refinery in Kuwait, this is the first time he has ever witnessed a war, “as during day and night time we hear the air strikes at our homes in Kuwait”.
“A missile or drone of Iran was intercepted, just when our bus was passing through the same area, and the remains fell onto it. Hearing something banging on our bus, we urged the driver to stop the bus, and found that it was the remains of a dismantled missile,” Babariya told The Indian Express.
“We reported the incident to our management. The company authorities have now come up with a new working arrangement. Only those employees whose duties are necessary are required to be physically present in the office, while others are told to work from home,” he said. Babariya’s wife and children stay with his parents in Surat. On Monday, he called them to share concerns about the current crisis in the Gulf nations.
“I have been in Kuwait for the last few years to earn bread and butter for my family, staying in Surat. I make it a point to talk to my family daily, and have told them not to worry. I have no plans to return to India. If the company gives us a holiday, I will definitely move to India and spend time with my family in Surat,” Babariya says.
No word from Valsad man working in Iran since Sunday, family back home worried
The family of Jayentilal Tandel (50), a resident of Kakwadi village in Valsad, has been worried since the war broke out in Iran. Tandel works in a private company in Bandar Charak, Iran. He last spoke to them on Sunday.
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Tandel used to make a living by fishing on the Valsad coast. His 20-year-old son Jay tells The Indian Express, “My father stays at Iran’s Charak city and works there in a private company. He comes to Valsad regularly and spends time with us. With the ongoing war, we would like to talk to him regularly. The last time he spoke to us was on Sunday but there were frequent disturbances in the network. There have been internet problems since the war started (on Saturday ).”
Jay says the family has been trying to reach out to him since then, but in vain. “We have left messages on his social media accounts and told him to contact us soon. We are praying for his safe return,” says Jay.
The family says that when he was going for deep-sea fishing from Valsad and returning after a few days with the catch, the family would worry. This time, the family says, the fear is “different” as he is in a “war zone”.
Jay, who is the only child, lives with his mother Leela at their ancestral house in Valsad.
Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs.
Expertise
Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs.
Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including:
Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives.
Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress.
Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).
Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More
