'We are scared - shrapnel was falling from the sky'

People from Kent, Surrey and Sussex stranded in Dubai have told of the "almighty booms" and falling shrapnel they have seen and heard as military strikes continue.

They have also told the BBC how they have spotted drones hovering outside their hotels,and have described the intense fear they experienced during attacks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which have followed strikes by US and Israeli forces in Iran which began on Saturday.

Iranian people living in the South East also say they have only briefly been able to contact loved ones living in the country.

Strikes have continued on Monday, following the death of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Saturday's strikes.

Hannah Carter, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, who is currently staying near the Burj Khalifa on holiday in Dubai, said: "Shrapnel was falling from the sky - one landed two streets away from us.

"We are a bit scared when the bangs are near and big. A friend staying in another hotel has been made to sleep in the basement on mattresses, because it is safer there."

Joe Green, from Ash Vale, in Surrey, who is also in the UAE, added: "We heard some explosions and saw drones flying past our hotel. It was very surreal."

Flights between Dubai and London Gatwick have been cancelled following the continuing attacks across the Middle East, which are also being reported in Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia.

More than 500 people have been killed in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Hiva, from East Sussex, who moved from Iran when she was 21, said internet blackouts had severely restricted contact with her family still in the country.

Now in her late 20s, she said: "Last night they called me and told me they are safe and alive, but that has been the only time I was able to speak to someone inside Iran.

"It's very overwhelming and stressful."

The UK Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

Emma, from Kent, was due to fly home from Dubai on Saturday but has been unable to leave as airspace across the Middle East remains closed.

She told BBC Radio Kent she had been having tea with friends when an "almighty boom" was heard and the building shook. Everyone was told to run, and guests sheltered in the basement until it was safe, she added.

Emma said they had been rebooked into a different hotel.

British officials were drawing up contingency plans for a possible evacuation of UK nationals.

The timing of any movement remains unclear while airspace restrictions continue.

Residents and tourists in Dubai have been advised to stay indoors, while local authorities say safety measures were in place across the city.

In Folkestone, the family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who have been imprisoned in Iran after being arrested in January 2025, say they were "incredibly worried" about the couple.

The East Sussex couple are being held in Tehran's Evin prison, having been detained and sentenced on espionage charges, which they deny.

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