A Scottish dentist on holiday in Dubai has told of the moment her family had to hide in a bathroom as her hotel room windows shook amid missile attacks.
Elidi Patterson, who runs West Port Dental Practice in Arbroath, was stopping off for a three-day holiday in Dubai before returning to Glasgow with her husband, six-month-old, and two-year-old.
However, at midnight on Saturday, what was meant to be a fun stopover turned into a “harrowing” experience – with the family having to hide in a bathroom as the UAE intercepted missiles launched from Iran.
Elidi Patterson via SuppliedThe family are only a 26-minute drive from Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port, which was hit by debris from an intercepted missile on Sunday morning amid Tehran’s retaliation attacks on Gulf states in response to US and Israeli strikes.
Elidi, 30, has said her hotel room windows have been “shaking and wobbling” amid loud bangs and sirens.
‘We saw footage of the Palm Hotel getting hit, so you just think you’re next’
“We found ourselves this morning hiding in the bathroom”, she told STV News.
“The moment we realised something serious was happening was when we heard the missiles being intercepted overhead.
STV News“We heard this crackle, this bang, this boom, and it sounded really, really close.
“Then you see plumes of smoke from where the missile has been intercepted. Our hotel room windows were shaken and wobbling, and we had to say get back, get back, from the windows to our children.
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“Our phones were going off saying, take cover.
“It’s hard to explain to a two-and-a-half-year-old why you’re having to do this. It’s a horrific feeling inside knowing you’re fully responsible for your two boys.”
The UAE issued an emergency alert detailing measures to take amid potential missile threats, while the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has asked residents to seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building, and to steer away from windows, doors, and open areas.
Elidi Patterson via SuppliedElidi, who is holed up at the Hotel Stella Di Mare, said that when she received the alert, she felt they were about to be hit directly.
“We saw footage of the Palm Hotel getting hit, so you just think you’re next”, she said.
“You start planning your escape from the room, and you just feel that you need to get out. I was shaking physically for so many hours after, it was just the adrenaline and the fear.”
Flights to and from countries in the Middle East are to remain suspended until Monday.
The Foreign Office has advised British Nationals in the region to register their presence with the UK government to receive updates on the situation in the Middle East and said that British nationals in those countries should shelter in place.
SuppliedElidi said she has been told to contact Emirates Airlines but has not been able to get through.
“From what I’ve heard, the airspace is closed until 3pm Dubai time.
“Our flight was cancelled and the only advice we were given from the Emirates was to contact us which I’ve tried multiple times and I can’t get a hold of anybody.
“We’re two days in now, and it’s been pretty grim.”
Elidi, who runs the dental practice with her husband, has said NHS Tayside has taken on all their patients for any emergency care.
It comes as they were meant to return to work on Monday.
“Trying to work out care for our patients’ dental emergency, it’s been incredibly tough”, she added.
“We’ve been speaking to NHS Tayside, who has been very helpful, and our staff who are there have really helped us out in this situation.
“At the end of the day we have a lot of patients whose care are outstanding.
“We’ve been in contact with friends and family where we can, there’s been so much support.
“We’re just feeling quite stuck, and there hasn’t been a huge amount of information.”
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