England Lions Stars Share Horrifying Experience During Abandoned Tour in Abu Dhabi
England Lions stars have shared their harrowing experiences during a tour that was abruptly cut short due to the ongoing conflict in Abu Dhabi. The team, which included around 40 players and support staff, had been staying in the city for three weeks as part of a cricket tour. James Coles, a player from Sussex, described how the entire squad was “rammed into the same hotel” and could hear explosions going off around them.
“We could hear explosions going off around us — it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience,” Coles said. The team was originally supposed to stay for another ten days, but with no cricket matches being played, they returned home early.
The situation has led to an influx of British citizens returning from the Middle East. A first evacuation flight arrived at Heathrow last night, and anxious families waited with flowers and balloons to reunite with their loved ones who had endured a “horrific” ordeal.
Evacuation Efforts and Travel Disruptions
Emirates and Etihad Airways are operating only five UK-bound flights from the Middle East, compared to the dozens they usually run daily. British Airways and Qatar Airways have canceled all their scheduled flights between the Middle East and the UK due to closed airspaces.
Lydia Welch, 27, was greeted by her father at Heathrow after returning from Abu Dhabi. She described the constant strikes: “The strikes have been every day — morning, afternoon, evening, midnight. Everyone got woken up at 3 am. They were going off for half an hour.”
Arta Xhemaili, 35, from Leeds, was traveling in the Middle East with a friend when the strikes began. “We’re still in shock — we can’t believe we’re back,” she said. “We had traveled from Oman and were supposed to have a layover in Abu Dhabi. We got woken up by two missiles near our hotel at 3 o’clock last night.”
Families Reunited After a Nightmarish Ordeal
Hafsa and Shamshed Ali nervously waited for their son, Ahmad, 12, who had been in Dubai alone for three nights. When he arrived at Heathrow, he was embraced by his parents and little sister. Ms. Ali explained how they had booked him a flight home on Emirates using the children’s service. “It was terrifying. We saw on social media what was going on,” she said.
Ghislaine Norman was visibly shaken as she waited for her two daughters, Paris, 30, and Rhianna, 28. “They were so exhausted by it all, they ended up falling asleep. At midnight on Saturday, they were woken up to be evacuated, because the airport had been hit,” she added.
Kate, 47, from Australia, was traveling to the UK for work when she became embroiled in the chaos. “I arrived Saturday, so I spent three nights there. I arrived at 2pm — and then we were told the planes weren’t going to be able to leave that night,” she said.
Hotels Provide Shelter Amidst the Chaos
Grandmother Mina Pattni, 62, and her family were staying at the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah, which was hit by either a drone or debris, starting a fire. “It was absolutely terrifying,” said Mina. “We were just sitting down to eat on Saturday night when we heard some interceptions of drones or missiles in the air.”
Mina was traveling with her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. “The children were very frightened,” she said. “They picked up the slightly panicky mood from the other guests, though the hotel staff were very good and still managed to serve cold food, even though the gas in the hotel had to be turned off.”
Stranded Travelers and Communication Issues
Father and son James, 18, and Jim Dixon, 61, from Leicester, were due to fly back to the UK from Dubai on Saturday afternoon. After checking in, they were held at the airport for five hours before being moved to a hotel to begin the long wait. “The communication hasn’t been great, to be honest,” said Jim. “We’ve had more information from people back home, but I do understand it’s a pretty exceptional situation.”
Accountants John Barndell, 37 from London, and Greg Coull, 35 from Edinburgh, had been on a business trip to India and were only supposed to be in transit at Dubai to change flights. “We were well taken care of by the airline and the hotel, though the comms could definitely have been better,” said John.
