Two Wānaka residents have spent a “terrifying” night stuck in a Abu Dhabi hotel room, with the windows shaking from nearby bombing. 

Deb Jamieson and her son Rocco (19) had stopped in Abu Dhabi for a week in the sun after Rocco competed in the Milano Cortina Olympics.

Rocco made the finals in the snowboard Big Air event.

The pair were planning to fly to Seoul yesterday (Tuesday March 3) on Etihad Airways, then back through Abu Dhabi on March 10 on their way to Zurich, but their flight was cancelled following military strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel on Saturday.

“It’s been a terrifying night,” Deb told the Wānaka App. 

“We feel helpless and stuck. 

“The bombing felt close last night (Monday March 2). The glass in our hotel room was shaking. Word was they were targeting the Abu Dhabi US military base.” 

Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on United States assets in the region following the strikes which killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Deb said her sister-in-law and a friend are trying to book backup flights with other airlines.

“... it takes ages to get through,” she said.  

“The airlines don’t provide any info other than what you can see online, either that the flight is still scheduled or canceled. 

“Family have been ringing the consulate in NZ and being told to register with Safetravel which we’ve done but no further information.”

She said Wānaka friends put her onto the NZ Ambassador in Abu Dhabi, whose wife Louise Dempsey has been “kindly messaging updates about the airspace opening etc”. 

Yesterday RNZ reported that President Donald Trump has warned of a “big wave” of strikes against Iran yet to come, and multiple Middle Eastern countries have threatened escalation of the conflict.

PHOTO: Supplied