“Attacks in Paris, again. It’s just so shocking,” recounts Dubai resident Althea Kaushal, who was in Paris as the carnage unfolded on November 13.
“It’s sad how it’s not over.”
She’s still unable to shake off the horror that she witnessed.
Althea and her husband landed in Paris on November 13, a day ahead of the U2 concert which they were planning to go for. “We checked in at 4pm, and got out on the streets by 7.30pm, and within an hour, things got crazy.
“We were at a café just minutes away from the Place de la République, when we saw people running out on the streets.
“We heard gunshots and explosions, and people were yelling and screaming.
“Before we could understand what was actually going on, we were out on the streets, running back to our hotel. Everyone was yelling to ‘go indoors’.”
Althea recalls how the streets were filled with men in uniforms and unmarked cars, and “the city was screaming with sirens”.
It’s only when they got back to the hotel, and turned on an English news channel (BBC) that they understood what was going on. “As we were watching the news of the killings, we could hear the explosions and gunfire outside. That was terrifying.”
Althea adds that it almost felt like an unfortunate repeat of the Mumbai attacks in 2008 because “no one knew what was going on” or how many more explosions were planned.
The shutters to their hotel was downed, and they immediately started to plan their way back to Dubai, to their two girls (aged 11 and 7). “While this was unfolding I got a call from my older girl, who had more pressing matters about a nagging kid sister,” she remembers, adding, “I didn’t tell them anything but when I heard their voices, I had the urge to get home to them as soon as I could.
“I told my friends not to do anything out of the ordinary as kids would panic, and it’s not like they would be watching news on the telly anyway.”
Althea and her husband were lucky to get to the airport safely in the wee hours of November 14, and get their tickets changed to fly back home.
“The streets were eerily empty and quiet while we were heading to the airport.
“Many tourists who didn’t know they could move out that early in the day, ended up being stuck in the city. We were just lucky to have made it out safe.”
When they boarded the Emirates flight, they felt a sense of relief. “It was almost like making it out of a war zone, unharmed. And we felt really safe.”
It’s after she landed in Dubai that she told her daughters about what had unfolded in Paris. “They were surprised we got back a day earlier so we had to tell them but in a not-so gory format.”
Althea adds that the French authorities were quick on the ground, and the entire situation was handled well. “The media was not allowed access to any information, and the operation was carried out in high confidentiality.”
Looking back, she notes it is impressive how the French handled the situation. “The people were resilient, and were walking back indoors in an orderly fashion. There was urgency but no chaos. For a nation that’s not exposed to this kind of violence, barring the Charlie Hedbo attack, it’s impressive how they handled it.”
At least 128 were reportedly killed during the multiple attacks in Paris on November 13.