Explosion near Dubai airport leaves Sindhu, coach shaken

Dubai (PTI): Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu on Sunday described a "tense and scary" situation at the Dubai Airport after an explosion occurred close to where she and her coach were staying amid an unfolding crisis.

In a post on social media, Sindhu said the ordeal was becoming "more frightening by the hour" and revealed that an explosion had taken place near the area where they were holed up.

Sindhu is scheduled to compete at the All England Open Badminton Championships, starting March 3 and is stranded at Dubai airport since Saturday with her Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama. "A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us," Sindhu wrote on X.

The former world champion, however, confirmed that she and her support staff are safe and have been moved to a secure location.

"We are all safe now and have been moved to a more secure place, thanks to the tireless efforts of the staff at Dubai Airport and the Dubai authorities," she said.

Sindhu also expressed gratitude to the Consulate General of India in Dubai for its assistance during the crisis.

"A special thanks as well to the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their incredible support and constant assistance in helping keep us safe,” she added.

The 2019 world champion did not provide further details about the nature of the explosion or the circumstances leading up to it, but said they are trying to rest while waiting for the situation to stabilise.

"For now, we are trying to get some rest and hold on to hope as we wait for things to settle," she wrote.

Sindhu is one of India's most decorated badminton players, having won Olympic silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, apart from multiple World Championship medals.

The US and Israel launched a major offensive on Iran on Saturday, with American President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to overthrow the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.

The military strikes have led to the closure of air space in the Gulf region and caused disruption to several flights, including Emirates and Air India.

Air India cancelled all its flight to and from the Gulf region, mainly to Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Dubai Airport has suspended all operations indefinitely due to airspace closures following missile strikes involving the US, Israel and Iran.