Doha air alerts becoming routine, says cricketer

A former England cricketer said life under air alerts in Doha felt "eerie" but was "weirdly" becoming routine.

Mal Loye, who previously played for Northamptonshire and Lancashire and now coaches the Qatar national cricket team, said he has spent the past three days in Doha listening to missile interceptions and overnight explosions as tensions escalate across the Middle East.

The 53-year-old, who lives in a high-rise area of the city, said what at first felt scary was now becoming part of daily life.

When speaking to Annabel Amos on BBC Radio Northampton, he said: "It's a bit eerie overnight when you hear the bombs go off... but weirdly I'm starting to get used to it."

The US and Israel struck Iran on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with a wave of attacks across the region.

The former cricketer had flown back to the UK for his daughter's birthday before returning to Qatar on 28 February.

Since then, Loye has registered with the British embassy to receive updates and has been staying indoors because of potential "shrapnel from the sky".

"It's quite calm, it reminds me a bit of lockdown. [Doha] is completely empty, it's like a ghost town.

"The bombing seems to happen very early in the morning or late at night. That's the only time it's worrying.

"The cricket stadium is very close to the American airbase so I'm definitely not going there. Where we go from this I don't know," he said.

Loye said he was waiting to find out what options he has to leave Qatar, with airspace restrictions limiting routes out of the country.

"It might mean getting the bus to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia... but I'm very much playing it by ear at the moment," he added.

The UK government is understood to be formulating potential plans to evacuate UK nationals should airspace in the region remain closed.

Elsewhere, flight disruption has also left families stranded. In Dubai, Claire, 42, her husband and their two children, from Braunston, Northamptonshire, were among thousands unable to return to the UK.

Claire's mother, Fiona, died from motor neurone disease on 7 February and she cannot reschedule the funeral service because other relatives have already made travel and accommodation plans.

Claire said: "I hate the thought of [her sister] going through [the funeral] on Friday without me."

In Dubai, several hotels and buildings have been struck by missiles while the city's airport was also hit.

Claire and her family had been staying at the Five Palm Jumeirah when missiles were intercepted overhead.

"There were a couple of intercepted missiles overhead, very loud.

"We're not used to dealing with this sort of thing, so it's not a case of just being on holiday for a few more days," she added.

Claire said she had spent about £2,000 on additional flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in the hope of getting home in time.

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