The 16 students and a professor from Queen’s University who were stuck in Qatar for more than a week are back on home soil.
The group were in Sri Lanka on a two-week biology field trip and were taking a flight to Toronto from Doha on February 28. Less than an hour into the flight, the plane turned around and headed back to Doha.
The US-Israeli-led airstrikes on Iran earlier that day prompted officials to close all commercial airspace in the area. The group stayed in a hotel in Doha while all flights to and from the airport were grounded.
Queen’s said in a news release that the federal government were able to arrange ground transportation from Doha to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They said the group were able to depart from there and arrived in Toronto on Monday.
The university said the group were able to stay in contact with Global Affairs Canada and consular officials while they were in Doha. They thanked professor Dr. Stephen Loughheed for his leadership and the students for their resilience.
Queen’s said they will be organizing counselling and ongoing support for the group.
Story by Ken Hashizume
