‘Black smoke, multiple emergency alerts’: Indian mom’s firsthand account of Bahrain’s sudden emergency

Bahrain remains on high alert following the joint Israel-US strikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation. Mukta Ghosh, an Indian expat in Bahrain’s Bu Ghazal, who witnessed the crisis firsthand, recalled the moment in a conversation with HT.com. She shared how she spotted thick black smoke from her balcony. The sight was immediately followed a government emergency alert on her phone, ordering all residents to stay indoors and avoid the roads.Mukta Ghosh stays in Bahrain with her family. (Mukta Ghosh)“I heard noises. After going out to check on my balcony, I saw black smoke in the sky. Instantly, we got an emergency alert on my phone from the minry, alerting everyone to stay inside and to avoid unnecessary driving outside,” she told HT.com.As the alerts began, Mukta was at home with her younger child while her eldest son was at his tuition centre. She quickly contacted his teacher, who eased her fears promising that no child would be allowed to leave the safety of the centre until a parent arrived to pick them up. She recalled that at the time, her husband was in Sitra, an island about 5 km south of the capital, Manama.“My husband was in Sitra, and my elder son was in tuition, which is in Manama. I was at home with my younger son. My home is in Bughazal. I spoke to my son’s tutor, and she didn’t leave the children until the respected parents came to pick them up. Later, I went to pick my son up from his tuition,” she shared.While Ghosh was recounting her story, she received another alert from the government, instructing residents to stay indoors. “Right now, we received another emergency alert. I heard a few sounds too.”