A woman with stage three cancer has managed to make a vital hospital appointment after she was stranded in Dubai.
Lindsay Stone, 47, from Plymouth, had been due to fly home on Sunday to start chemotherapy but the flight was cancelled amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory Iranian attacks.
Lindsay, her husband Paul and children witnessed a drone being intercepted above their hotel on Saturday which she said was « terrifying ».
She said she felt as if she had secured a « miracle flight » when Virgin Atlantic said she could fly on Wednesday.
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Lindsay said the explosion from a missile intercepted above the hotel they were staying in, The Palm near Jebel Ali Port, sounded like a sonic boom.
Paul said: « The Saturday especially, it did feel this could get a lot worse and there were a lot of bombs going off.
« It was quite traumatic from that point of view. »
He said they had decided to consider different ways to get out of the country to make sure Lindsay could start her treatment at Derriford Hospital.
« If that meant we had to go and get a coach and sit in the coach for 13 hours then we would have done it, » he said.
Lindsay said they had not known if it would be « one week, two weeks or three weeks » to get home.
Paul said it had been a « big relief » when the airline offered them passage.
He said the flight took a route down along Saudi Arabia, before « crossing over Israel ».
« I think until we got past there, the plane was very quiet, » Paul added.
He said the Saturday was the « worst day », and added « there was a lot of bombs going ».
« We had one of those massive alarms that comes through on the phone, which scares the living daylights out of you, » he said.
« That was like ‘stay away from the windows, stay indoors’.
« We were basically told we weren’t allowed outside the hotel then for the next two days. »
Thousands of British nationals are still stuck in the Middle East after US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran across the region.
On Thursday the first flight chartered by the UK government to bring back some of those stranded in the Middle East departed.
Mickey Drew was among those stranded in Dubai, describing the situation as « absolute chaos ».
The 31-year-old from Angarrack, Cornwall, was travelling back from Australia with two friends when flights were suspended.
She has since returned to her home county and reflected on a « really stressful couple of days ».
« I was panicking all the way up to takeoff, I would’ve been stranded there by myself because they obviously separated our group into separate flights – it was a nightmare. »
She added: « They hurried us onto the flight, sat us down and moments later we took off.
« I don’t think I calmed down until we left the UAE airspace. »
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