Amid explosions, the mood at camps housing thousands of Indian, predominantly Punjabi workers, across Abu Dhabi and Dubai remains pensive in view of the escalating tensions over the US-Israel-Iran conflict. Hundreds of Indians remain stranded due to flights not taking off across West Asia.A Chandigarh-based business family, including two toddlers, had gone for a 10-day holiday to Dubai. They were to return to the city on March 3. But as the air space was shut down, the family is now unsure of its return.“We contacted the Indian Embassy and were asked to fill a form. We are hopeful that the Indian Government will come out with an evacuation plan soon. Till then, we have confined ourselves to a hotel. The hotel staffers are themselves unsure of how things would unfold and are not able to help us,” the businessman’s wife told The Tribune on condition of anonymity. She added that they were staying at a hotel that is at a distance from the city and are not moving out.Another Chandigarh-based businessman, who was on the way to Berlin on a business trip, is stranded in Dubai. He said he had a stopover in Dubai, but because of the air strikes on Iran, his connecting flight to Berlin was cancelled.Meanwhile, masons, construction workers, drivers, and hospitality staff remain stranded as work has been suspended amidst the conflict and are living under the fear of bomb strikes.Pawan, a JCB driver hailing from the Pandori Jagir village in Nakodar, has been stuck at a camp in Abu Dhabi for the past two days, watching missiles moving past over his head. At times, workers at the camp spend hours out in the open, fearing that a missile may hit the camp. Their closest shave was a missile which fell less than a mile away, engulfing the neighbourhood in smoke.Gagandeep (24), an Abu Dhabi-based building worker hailing from the Ghugshore village in Jalandhar, said, “We have been asked to stay inside. At my camp, there are 2,000 to 4,000 Indians, majority of them Punjabis. The neighbouring camp had also been hit. It’s scarier at night. Currently, work remains suspended due to the conflict.”Inder Grewal (25), hailing from Doraha in Ludhiana and a driver at Dubai, said that there are about 2,500 Indians, predominantly Punjabis, at the camp he is staying in. Grewal says, “There are Indians and Pakistanis at my camp. Our camp is relatively safe from the action as the real action is about 200 to 250 miles away. In our area, some missiles fell 25 to 30 km away, but we are fine. Indian visitors, especially those scheduled to return, are afraid but they have been put up at hotels, malls and other safe places.”