'My son is stuck in hospital as Iran attacks'

A woman says she is feeling distressed that her son is stuck in a Dubai hospital during Iran's rocket and missile strikes.

Fiona, from Sussex, said the United Arab Emirates closed its airspace "literally minutes" after her 23-year-old son, Cameron, landed in the city on a connecting flight on his way back from India.

"He was only meant to be in Dubai airport for two hours," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

Fiona said her son - who had never travelled alone - later developed a severe stomach bug and was taken to hospital for treatment.

"It's horrible," she said. "[I am] trying to keep a lid on the stress".

Cameron had been on a work-related trip in India with other people, though they have all either made it home to the UK or are still there, according to Fiona.

She said she had had two calls with her son, who was now "on the mend".

Fiona says the 23-year-old needs to complete his course of medical treatment before he can return home.

"I would love to say 'let's get you a flight right now and get you out of there - if possible', but he needs to be well enough."

The conflict between Iran and US-Israel, which began on the 28 February, has caused widespread airspace closures in the Middle East.

Flights have been majorly disrupted with some half a million passengers per day using airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi - vital hubs for travel between Europe and Asia and Australia.

• Why did the US and Israel attack Iran?

A handful of flights are set to bring British nationals stranded in the Middle East back to the UK on Tuesday, but the majority of departures from the region remain cancelled.

Emirates plans to operate one flight each to Gatwick and Manchester, besides two to Heathrow.

Cameron is not due to fly back on Tuesday, according to his mother.

Daniel Moon, from Brighton, went to Dubai on a photography trip and had been due to leave early on Monday morning.

However, he told the BBC his flight was pushed back to Tuesday and subsequently cancelled.

Moon said although Saturday was "pretty surreal", things had "calmed down".

He added his biggest concerns were about getting home and the cost of staying in Dubai as he was paying about £150 a night for his hotel.

"I'm diabetic and have enough insulin for about five days. After that I'll need to buy more locally or see a doctor, so that's playing on my mind a bit too," he said.

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