An Iranian missile strike on a US air base in Qatar left many Keralites living in Doha panicked on Monday night. By Tuesday, however, everything had returned to normal, they said.
The strike came in response to the US bombing nuclear facilities in Iran in the midst of the Iran-Israel conflict.
Regarding Monday night’s missile strike in Qatar, an expatriate from Kerala said, “I heard a big bang while at my work site, which is close to the US air base. We did not get any alert or warning. After the missile struck, people left the workplace in panic and rushed to their apartments. I saw thick columns of smoke from the air base.”
The expatriate, who did not want to be named, said he could see more missiles in the sky as he returned to his residence. “It suddenly looked like fireworks. Everyone panicked and ran to safe places. A couple of missile parts fell down, but damage to the public area was limited.”
He said that while everyone panicked initially, the situation was soon stabilised. “Today, on Tuesday, life is normal in Doha except that schools have remained closed. Neither the government nor the (Indian) Embassy has issued any restrictions for today. Since the air base is away from populated areas, we are out of danger,” he said.
Another expatriate from Kerala said the attack lasted for 10-15 minutes. “As the air space was closed, we realised that something was happening… But things are normal in Doha as all the projectiles were targeted towards the air base, which is outside the city. Later, the government confirmed the development and urged people not to worry. Today, they have postponed exams. Otherwise, everything is back to normal,” he said.
Back in Kerala, hundreds of passengers to the Middle East were stranded at airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode after several flights were delayed, cancelled or rescheduled due to the incident.