'We could see drones being shot down'

Londoners stranded in the Middle East have described seeing drones being shot down in the sky above them.

Richard Pugh and Hannah Norman, a married couple from Beckenham in south-east London, were only meant to have a layover in Bahrain on their way to Oman.

But with airspaces remaining largely closed as Iran continues to launch strikes in the region in response to an ongoing attack by Israel and the US, they are unable to leave.

"We started to hear explosions, which was the US naval base 20 minutes away from the hotel being attacked," Norman said, adding: "We haven't experienced anything like this before."

Pugh said: "As the evening went on, we looked out of the window and we could see some of the drones being shot down out of the sky.

"There is that underlying feeling that something could happen at any point, which is obviously unnerving.

"We are trying to look at options to get home but that's difficult when the airspace is closed."

The couple landed on Friday evening when "everything was quiet" and woke up on Saturday to TV news images of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

"We feel as safe here as can be - quite a distance away from the airport and the US airbase," Pugh said, "but we're hoping for repatriation flights now."

The couple are among thousands of British citizens who have registered their location and contact details to receive direct Foreign Office updates, with the majority being holidaymakers in the United Arab Emirates or people in transit at major hub airports.

Government officials are understood to be formulating potential plans to evacuate UK nationals, should airspace in the region remain closed.

Flights have been diverted or cancelled, with journeys to and from Tel Aviv, Dubai, Doha and other international hubs affected.

Frankie Thatcher said he was stranded in Kuala Lumpur after his journey home to London was cancelled due to a planned layover in Dubai.

The 29-year-old from Lewisham was due to return home with Emirates on Sunday. His flights were rescheduled for Monday and later cancelled.

Thatcher said he was waiting to hear if his flight on 4 March would also be rescheduled.

"Communication has been dreadful, constant false promises, and lack of compassion," he said.

"[I am] honestly feeling quite helpless at the moment and don't know what my best option to get home is."

Speaking on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at least 200,000 British citizens were in the region, including residents, families on holiday and those in transit.

He said Iran had launched sustained attacks across the region and had "hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying".

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