‘Felt next bomb would hit Us’: Indians returning from war-hit Iran recall horror

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Mar 17, 2026: Indian nationals returning from war-hit Iran have recounted harrowing experiences, saying they lived in constant fear as explosions and missile strikes rocked cities amid the ongoing conflict with the United States.

A group of Indian students finally landed in New Delhi late on Monday night as part of the second evacuation flight bringing stranded nationals back home.

23-year-old Labeeb Qadri, a medical student, who was among the returnees, said he still does not feel safe despite reaching India. “Till the time I don’t see my family in Kashmir, I won’t feel like I have returned home," said Qadri, who arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport along with dozens of other students, Hindustan Times reported.

Qadri, who studies medicine at Urmia University, said the past few days had been exhausting and frightening.

“When we were in Iran there was constant bombing, then once we crossed the border we thought we are safe. Just when we were on the last leg of our journey in Dubai, multiple drone attack happened at the airport. We were stranded first in Iran then in Dubai. So, I am still unable to process that we have reached India," said Qadri. “We were in complete lockdown and constantly lived in the fear that the next bomb could be dropped on our hostel," Qadri added.

According to him most international students from neighbouring countries had already departed, leaving behind only a small group of Indian students at the university.

“Students from Iraq, Turkey, and Pakistan had all left. It was just us around 45 Indian students who were left. We stayed in the basement for nearly two weeks, and barely moved out. In case, we needed to do some really necessary shopping, we would go out in groups," the 23-year-old.

The flight carrying the group operated from Yerevan to Delhi but was delayed by nearly 12 hours after a halt in Dubai. The delay came after the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority temporarily suspended operations at the city’s airport as a precaution.

In a post on X on March 16, the DCAA said, “DCAA announces temporary suspension of flights at Dubai International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure safety of all passengers and staff."

Another medical student from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, originally from Srinagar in Kashmir, said that being relocated from Tehran provided only brief relief.

“It was just horrible. The Indian Embassy shifted us from Tehran to a hotel in a comparatively safer place. We stayed there in the hotel for 3-4 days, but then the war started becoming more aggressive," the student said.

This was the second evacuation flight bringing back Indians stranded in Iran to Delhi. The first aircraft, carrying around 80 passengers including students and pilgrims, had arrived on Sunday morning.