'Missiles flying above': S'porean in Bahrain appeals for authorities to evacuate him back to S'pore

A Singaporean who travelled to Bahrain has called for the Singapore authorities to help evacuate him and other Singaporean citizens stuck in the conflict back home.

The man, who gave his name as Thomas, told Mothership that he flew into Bahrain on Feb. 5 for a holiday to visit his friend.

He was scheduled to depart on Mar. 5.

But on Feb. 28, Israel launched a "pre-emptive" strike on Iran, and was soon joined by the United States in what it called "major combat operations" to disable Iran's navy and missile facilities.

Iran then launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, which saw its U.S. naval base struck and buildings destroyed.

Airports across the Middle East were subsequently closed, with many flights cancelled and flight routes closed.

"Missiles flying above"

Thomas had been staying at a hotel near the U.S. naval base when it was struck.

He shared photos and videos of smoke rising in the near distance.

Some of the photos were taken from a car, which he called after the strike to evacuate him to an open area.

"[After the strike], I packed up my luggage and left immediately," he said.

He then moved to another hotel further away from the base, but the area was also hit by another missile strike.

Afraid, Thomas decided to travel overland to neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

He is now in the Saudi Arabian city of Dammam, and is working with locals to get a flight back to Singapore.

But the process is complicated by airport closures and flight cancellations, and most flights are full, he said.

"For now, I'm grateful to be safe," he said.

But he has called for help from the Singapore authorities to evacuate him back to Singapore, where his wife and children are waiting for him.

"My family wants me back in Singapore.

I'm in close contact with my family every day, especially my son Amos, who has been monitoring my situation over here and sharing potential dangers to avoid."

Evacuation possibilities

Thomas said that he has reached out to the Singapore Embassy in Riyadh (capital of Saudi Arabia) for help to return to Singapore.

In response to his request, the embassy said:

"We have received information that some Singaporeans may be keen to leave Bahrain.

As of now, the airspace above Bahrain is closed but the King Fahad Causeway to Al Khobar/Dammam remains open."

The reply set out several possible routes, including travelling to Dammam or Riyadh by land, to fly back to Singapore.

The embassy added that it had reached out to two transport companies in Bahrain to ferry Singaporeans from Bahrain to Riyadh.

"Unfortunately, Riyadh has also experienced two instances of bombing today," Thomas said.

He added that he had requested help evacuating to Riyadh, but was not able to do so due to the circumstances.

On Mar. 3, after he arrived in Dammam, the embassy sent him another response about a possible assisted evacuation from Saudi Arabia, "in case of further hostilities".

It also sent him a form to gauge the demand from Singaporeans in Saudi Arabia for repatriation.

"Please note that this is not a confirmation that the Embassy will be mounting an exercise," it said.

Top image from Thomas