Elderly Woman Returns Home from Dubai Amid Tensions

0:00On March 8, a 73-year-old woman from Shuro in Cornwall has made it back to the U.K. after eight days stuck in Dubai amid escalating middle. East tensions. Lenees Blom was visiting family in the United Arab Emirates when U.S. and Israeli strikes sparked flight cancellation starting late February. Her original and backup flights kept getting scrapped due to Iranian drone attacks, leaving the airport in total disarray with police turning people away. Blom finally boarded an Emirates flight after staff sorted out a booking mix-up caused by her travel agents. Her daughter, Afton Southern, expressed huge relief, noting her mom was celebrating with a gin and tonic at 3 a.m. upon landing. Blom thanked Emirates for their quick fixes and BBC Radio Devon in Cornwall for sharing her story, which sped up the help. Thousands of other British travelers remained stranded in Dubai, many struggling without easy access to apps or info on getting aid. Southern highlighted how not everyone knows the right contacts for support.

1:01The foreign office has lost a portal for charter flights, prioritizing the most vulnerable, with some already returning from Oman and Dubai. Flight set for early next week. Efforts continue to bring everyone home safely as the situation stabilizes.