More Than 700 Travellers From MP Stranded in UAE

Indore: More than 700 people from Madhya Pradesh, including two former MLAs, are stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to flight cancellations amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, an office-bearer of a travel agents' outfit said on Sunday. Several people from the state had travelled to the UAE for tourism and business purposes, and the crisis in the region had left them stranded, Amol Kataria, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India's MP unit, told PTI.

Many travellers from the state had cancelled their upcoming trips to Dubai and Sharjah, he added.

Kataria said that more than 700 people were stuck in the UAE, and among them, former MLA and BJP leader Sanjay Shukla is in Dubai.

"Due to the current international situation, our return to India today could not take place as Dubai airport was temporarily closed. We are receiving full cooperation from the Dubai administration and the Government of India. We will return to Indore as soon as the situation normalises," Shukla's post on social media stated.

The BJP leader also released a video on social media, in which he is seen pointing out of the window of a room and showing smoke billowing after an explosion kilometres away.

"The situation here has become bad. You can see that a bomb just exploded. All traffic has stopped. People here are being alerted and asked to stay in their rooms," he claimed.

He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the safe return of Indians stranded in Dubai and said that his elder son is also stuck with him there.

Talking to PTI, the former Indore legislator's son, Sagar, said that his father had gone to Dubai three days ago with former Depalpur MLA Vishal Patel and some industrialist friends, and was scheduled to return to Indore on Sunday.

He said he had spoken to his father over the phone and heard explosions during the conversation, following which his father and his friends moved to a safe location.

Indore MP Shankar Lalwani said several people from the city were stuck in the UAE, and the Ministry of External Affairs has been informed about this.

"As soon as the situation normalises, efforts will be made to bring these people back to India from the UAE," he said.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari, in a statement on social media, claimed that more than 100 citizens from the state were grounded at Dubai and Sharjah airports.

Women, children and families had been facing inconvenience for several hours, and anxiety had increased after flight cancellations, he said.

Patwari urged PM Modi to intervene immediately and ensure the safety of all Indians stranded in the UAE, while making arrangements for their early return home.

The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, killing the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hundreds of flights have been disrupted across West Asia and in other countries, including India, due to airspace restrictions following the joint attack and retaliatory action by Iran.