"By 1 pm, the airport was closed, chaos all around"
Esha Gupta recalled the chilling hours she was stranded at Abu Dhabi airport amid the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Widespread airspace closures across the Middle East disrupted travel and left thousands stranded. Airports were shut after the US and Israel launched missile strikes on February 28.
Esha was among those stranded.
Esha, who has since returned to India, shared a post of her ordeal on Instagram.
She wrote: “Back home. Thank you all for your prayers and wishes. It was very tough to be in the situation we all faced. Truly God’s blessing to be safe!”
Describing the moment events unfolded at the airport, Esha continued:
“It started when I was at the airport on the 28th (Saturday). By 1 pm, the airport was closed, chaos all around as none of us knew what had happened.
“Then the news started coming of the missile attack, and no one knew what the next minute held for us. Strangers consoling each other, all calling their families back home.
“Here, I would like to mention that what I saw was the strength of a country, the UAE. We were at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
“The ground staff and airport security immediately sprang into action and stayed calm throughout, even though we were all in this situation together.
“I hadn’t checked in myself by then, so I took a turn and left for my hotel in Abu Dhabi.”
She revealed that hotels accommodated stranded passengers across the city:
“Hotel management were in the same clothes as the night before, still working, still active, taking care of everything, answering questions they were unaware of as well, to the best of their ability.
“The delivery personnel (Careem) were still out there delivering. There was no shortage of any service anywhere.
“The lobby was full of people, including us, due to the security alert, scared, but no chaos.
“The hotel security kept reassuring everyone. Not once did we see the people, all scared internally, create stress; we were all in this together.”
View this post on Instagram
Esha concluded by thanking those who supported stranded travellers:
“Thank you to everyone who helped and is helping people of the world get back home. Your country is truly special.”
Esha Gupta was not the only Indian celebrity affected by the conflict.
Sonal Chauhan had earlier sought assistance from the Indian government to return safely. In an Instagram Story, she revealed she was returning to India from Oman.
Meanwhile, Yo Yo Honey Singh updated fans from the UAE, sharing a video from a recording studio. He wrote:
“We safe in Dubai guys. Working.”
Airspace closures across the region have caused delays and cancellations at several airports.
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