‘Like sitting ducks’: Fear and uncertainty mount for Southeast Asians stranded in Middle East

Amid cancelled flights, closed airspaces and explosions, citizens from across the region share their experiences with CNA.

SINGAPORE: Malaysian Fauzan Azmi was at lunch with his colleagues near the Dubai Marina on Saturday (Feb 28) afternoon when two loud nearby explosions ripped through the air. 

“At first we thought it was just a random thing, then a few minutes later someone in our group said it was a missile that was intercepted,” the corporate governance specialist told CNA via a video call on Monday. “So that was the first sign of escalation.”

Later around midnight, Fauzan, 31, who arrived in Dubai on Feb 25 on a business trip, said he received iPhone alerts notifying him to head indoors after the nearby Fairmont Hotel in Palm Jumeirah was reportedly set ablaze after a projectile struck outside its entrance, injuring four people.

“At the hotel area, you could see people running and the management trying to get everyone to the basement. With about 300 people in the lobby trying to check-in, the sirens happening, loud bangs, it wasn’t a smooth process,” he said, describing the scene when he returned to his own hotel, the Grand Hyatt.

“Basically everyone tried to evacuate and get near a sheltered place. They told us that we could come up to our rooms but not stay near the windows. This was about 1.30am,” Fauzan said.