Saw missiles in sky, heard explosions, say Kolkatans stranded in Middle East; actor Subhasree Ganguly among those stuck

KOLKATA: From actors and politicians to young professionals and elderly tourists, hundreds of Kolkatans have been stranded in Dubai and parts of the Middle East after US-Israel strikes on Iran triggered widespread airspace closures across West Asia, throwing flight schedules into chaos.Among those stuck is actor Subhasree Ganguly, who travelled to Dubai with her young son, Yuvan, on Saturday. Within hours of her arrival, the airport shut down amid escalating hostilities.Her husband, film director and Trinamool MLA Raj Chakraborty, said the situation was deeply worrying. "It was scary. Subhasree said she could see debris falling from the sky and hear missile blasts from her hotel room. She is staying inside the hotel. Friends and relatives there are checking on them, but as a husband and father, I am extremely anxious," he said.In neighbouring Abu Dhabi, 55-year-old Belgharia resident Pieu Mukherjee, who travelled to visit her newborn granddaughter in Jan, described tense nights punctuated by explosions. "My granddaughter is just a month old. The sound of bombs and shelling is so loud that the building and window panes shake. The baby and my five-year-old granddaughter are terrified," she said over the phone.Mukherjee said the family had stepped out for dinner on Saturday when the situation suddenly deteriorated. "We rushed back. Since then, we have been staying indoors, avoiding even the balcony. We can see smoke in the sky. Very few vehicles are out on the roads, and most places are shut," she added, saying her immediate concern was the children's safety rather than her return flight.Two 29-year-old friends from Salt Lake — Upasana Sinha and Konina Biswas — are also stranded in Abu Dhabi after being caught on the road during air strikes on Saturday evening. Sinha, who works for a British multinational firm, said they landed in Dubai earlier that day and travelled to Abu Dhabi to meet a friend."While returning, we were alerted about the war. We could see interceptor missiles streaking across the sky and hear loud bangs. We scrambled to find a hotel and finally managed to get one in Abu Dhabi," she said. According to her, hotel tariffs surged dramatically. "Rooms that were affordable on Saturday became nearly 10 times more expensive. Some are quoting close to Rs 1 lakh per night. I have a return ticket for March 3, but I have no idea how I will get back if the airspace remains closed," she said.Family members of senior state minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim are also caught in the crisis. His wife, elder daughter Priyadarshini — also a Trinamool functionary — and her child are on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and are stranded at a mosque due to flight suspensions. In a social media post, Priyadarshini said they were safe but uncertain about their return. "The airspace is closed. We don't know how to go back. I pray for peace to prevail, world leaders to shed war, and also that we can return home soon," she said in a video, expressing anguish over violence during the month of Ramzan.Tour groups from Kolkata are also hit. Bamapada Gangopadhyay (63), a tour manager, is confined to a Dubai hotel lobby with 25 tourists, most of them senior citizens, since Saturday evening. "We were on a day trip to Abu Dhabi when we saw flashes in the sky. Later, we realised it was an air attack," he said. The group rushed back to Dubai and received red alert notifications advising them to remain indoors.Another tour manager from Dum Dum, Tanay Biswas, said he and his 25-member group were near Palm Jumeirah when they noticed a massive blaze and hurried back to their hotel. "Later, we learnt it was a drone strike," he said.