Bengaluru: Around 50 pilgrims from Bengaluru visiting Medina are now stranded in Saudi Arabia as tensions in the Middle-East disrupted air travel.The group was scheduled to return at 2am on March 2. Instead, they remain stuck in Medina due to flight cancellations. With women, toddlers and elderly pilgrims among them, the families say they have been scrambling for accommodation and assistance while costs mount.The tourists flew out of Bengaluru on Feb 15 and have been staying at Al Shams Hostel in Medina since Thursday. According to family members, they learnt of the disruption around 7.30pm local time Saturday. Since then, many say, they have barely slept, making repeated calls for help.One of them, Mohammed Inayath, 32, a content creator from RT Nagar, reached out to chief minister Siddaramaiah in the early hours of Sunday through a post on X.“We’re trying to extend our stay for one more day, but with women, children, and heavy luggage, finding accommodation is difficult. Rooms cost about Rs 2,000 per person per day with food, which is too high for many of us. The travel agent withdrew support, and the (Indian) embassy directed us back to the agent. We’re trying to contact local leaders, but so far, there has been no response. The situation is calm, but we urgently need help to return home. I have my whole family with me; it’s really hard being stuck,” he told TOI.Abdul Mannan, 48, a signboard maker from Gandhinagar, said the trip has already stretched family savings. “This is my first visit to Medina with my family. We spent about Rs 80,000 per person and already used most of our savings. With hotel rooms at around Rs 1,500 per day and food costing 60 Riyals (Rs 1,456), many in the group are struggling. The travel agent left us to manage on our own, and arranging help from India is difficult. If the delay continues, accommodation, food, and medicines will become a serious concern. We urge the govt to help us return home soon,” Mannan said.Back home, anxiety is spreading across neighbourhoods in Bengaluru. A friend of one of the tourists said: “I spoke with him yesterday evening; at that time, he said he was safe. Now I am contacting a few locals I know there to help them.”For some families, the fear is personal and immediate. A 24-year-old student from Hulimavu said: “My sister is pregnant, and our entire family is worried about her… We are unable to do anything to bring them back and can only hope for their safety. She saw two missiles being dropped while she and her husband were on their way to her aunt’s place, and she was extremely stressed. I’m scared about her medical condition now.“In Whitefield, Bharath, 27, recounted tense moments in a friends’ group chat. “I have around seven friends in Dubai, and we’ve been close since class 4. One of them texted saying he sent a video showing a missile being dropped near his home, and then he suddenly went offline. For more than 30 minutes, he didn’t respond to any of our messages. Finally, he replied saying his network had been disrupted. Another friend got scared and moved to a different house. She freaked out hearing the sounds of the missile.”Ashik PA, who has been working in Dubai for the past three years and has come to Bengaluru to meet friends, is now uncertain about his return. “I came last week and was supposed to return by the end of the week. Now I’m stuck. I just started a new job and don’t know what to do. Since it’s a new job, I have to go back, but I’m unsure how to manage this situation.”
