All England Open: Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu, who was left stranded at the Dubai Airport on Saturday en route to Birmingham as flight operations were suspended owing to escalating tensions between Iran and the US-Israel, shared her harrowing experience from Dubai and said the last few hours have been "extremely tense" as there were "sounds of interceptions and explosions" very close to where she and her team were holed up at Dubai Airport.
Sindhu was travelling to Birmingham for the prestigious All England Open, which starts on Tuesday, and had a layover in Dubai on the way. But the two-time Olympic medallist stranded at Dubai airport due to major flight disruption.
"I was transiting from Bangalore, where I train and live full-time now, to Birmingham in the UK to compete in the All England championships. And, once our flight landed in Dubai, events beyond our control began to unfold, and shortly after the airspace also was shut down. And the last few hours have been extremely tense. We could hear the sounds of interceptions overhead, and a few hours later, there was an explosion very close to where we were holed up at Dubai Airport," Sindhu said in a video message.
“My coach was barely about 100 meters away from where it happened and had to quickly move out of the area. Experiencing something like this in such close quarters truly shakes the very foundation you’re built on. You never expect these things to happen to you or anyone close to you. But sometimes situations are beyond your control. I feel incredibly blessed to have such a strong and united team around me, and everyone has stayed calm, supported one another and shown real strength during a very frightening situation, she added.
Sindhu also confirmed that everyone are safe and had been moved to a more secure area. She credited airport authorities and Indian High Commission in Dubai officials for their swift assistance during the tense situation.
she continued, “Currently, we are safe now and have been moved to a more secure place. I’m deeply grateful to the Dubai authorities and the staff at Dubai Airport. Also, we’ve been incredibly tireless in ensuring everyone’s safety. We’re also truly grateful to Emirates and the airport staff for being incredibly kind and supportive. With so many passengers stranded, their hands were understandably tied, but they showed genuine empathy and care towards everyone going through this difficult experience.
"And I would also like to sincerely thank the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their extraordinary support. And when I reached out requesting assistance, the high commission immediately responded and, on high super priority notice, deployed his team to help us."
she continued, “Currently, we are safe now and have been moved to a more secure place. I’m deeply grateful to the Dubai authorities and the staff at Dubai Airport. Also, we’ve been incredibly tireless in ensuring everyone’s safety. We’re also truly grateful to Emirates and the airport staff for being incredibly kind and supportive. With so many passengers stranded, their hands were understandably tied, but they showed genuine empathy and care towards everyone going through this difficult experience.
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"And of course, we are truly blessed to have such a sensitised and credibile in looking out for Indian citizens here for now, we’re trying to get some rest and remain hopeful as the situation continues to unfold. So thank you for your prayers, messages and concern. It truly means a lot to all of us," she concluded.