Star Search Alum Amy Ang Stranded In Bahrain After Airspace Closure Amid US-Iran Conflict Missile Strikes

Star Search alum Amy Ang, 22, is currently stranded in Bahrain as a result of the closure of airspace in the Middle East due to the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States. 

Airlines have cancelled flights in the region following joint airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iran last week (Feb 28), as tensions in the Middle East have escalated. In Bahrain’s capital, Manama, blasts were heard as Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting US military facilities in the Gulf. 

Amy has been in Bahrain since Feb 25, sharing her Bahrain travel experiences on Instagram. She had travelled there for a work trip alongside a filming crew, and visited locations such as the Formula 1 track, albeit with no F1 race in session.

After the conflict broke out, she updated her stories on March 1 to assure followers that she was safe. However, Amy's original flight home had been cancelled and is currently rescheduled to March 4, leaving her and her companions temporarily stuck at their hotel.

Amy and her group were on their way to a shopping mall when they initially learned of the news of the airstrikes. In a clip filmed out the window of their vehicle, she showed smoke rising in the distance near the hotel they had previously stayed at, located close to a US military base in Manama.

She later shared that they received emergency alert messages on their phones while in their hotel rooms, prompting everyone to quickly move away from the windows. 

After watching BBC coverage of the conflict on television, she learned that explosions and missile activity had also been reported in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

In one of her IG stories, Amy wrote that she and her companions were “coping by eating”. Though stranded, they still have access to food and have been using the hotel gym and watching shows together to pass the time and deal with the anxiety they were facing. 

She admitted: “The crazy flight anxiety I’m gonna get… the one trip I [didn’t] bring Xanax.”

Since documenting her experience on social media, Amy has received well-wishes from netizens.

However, some netizens criticised her for “not being up-to-date with political issues”. One even commented, “Hope you stay there forever.” 

In response, Amy commented, “Netizens are scary.”

Amy revealed that she and her team have contacted the Singapore Embassy and registered their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For now, they must wait for the airspace to reopen before making arrangements to return home.