Passengers were stranded at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGI) in Hyderabad due to disruption and cancellation of flights following the Middle East situation. | Photo credit: REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE
Families in northern coastal Andhra Pradesh are gripped by fear and anxiety as escalating tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States continue to raise security concerns in the Gulf countries. With reports of rocket and drone attacks, relatives of migrant workers spend sleepless nights, constantly reaching out to loved ones abroad and praying for their safety. Many employees say they live in uncertainty and worry about what might happen next.
A significant number of youth from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Kakinada and Srikakulam districts migrate to the Gulf countries – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain – every month in search of employment. Those with technical training enter jobs as welders, plumbers and fitters, while those with specialized certifications in QA/QC and NDT secure higher pay grades. A large proportion of these workers have been employed in the Persian Gulf for more than a decade or more. However, the sudden escalation of tension shattered their sense of stability.
P. Rajesh (name changed on request) of Tungalam, Gajuwaka, who has been working in Qatar for the past decade, narrowly escaped danger when drones landed near his workplace. His wife P. Someswari said, “He was supposed to come home in the first week of February. But for some reasons he did not come. It would be great if he came.” She added that her husband’s company is trying to move all employees to a safer and better place. “Thankfully the network connection is on and offers some relief,” he adds.
G. Devi, a resident of Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district, has not slept for the past three days. Her husband Somesh has been working as a fitter at a company in Dubai for the past two years and has been sending her videos and pictures of drones flying and missiles and bombs landing near his workplace. She said: “It’s scary. He called me yesterday and said, ‘If my phone doesn’t work, don’t panic. I’ll keep myself safe somewhere.’
G. Bheemaraju of Palasa in Srikakulam district said his brother works in Muscat as a senior citizen. Although there was no tension at first, the attacks on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and the port of Duqm made us tense. “We are contacting him every hour. There is no problem at the moment, but safety is still an issue. We have been praying that the situation will be brought under control. The sad thing is that unless the company authorities send them, they cannot come down voluntarily,” he said.
Published – March 3, 2026 8:36 PM IST
