Montreal couple in Doha caught in missile strikes with no way home

Michael Lemieux and his girlfriend took shelter in a Doha hotel after missiles flew overhead and their flight home was cancelled.

A Montreal couple is currently stuck in Qatar after Iran launched missiles toward the country in retaliation for a U.S.-Israeli attack that began early Saturday morning.

Michael Lemieux and his girlfriend had a layover in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on their way back to Montreal from a two-week trip to Thailand. He said they decided to spend the day in the city, but by Saturday afternoon things took a dangerous turn.

At around noon, the couple started receiving alert messages on their phones instructing them to seek shelter. Lemieux said he asked people around them, but they were not worried.

“But after the third one, I asked more questions, and about half an hour later we went on the rooftop of the hotel because we did not want to go outside, and that’s when we started to feel the ground shaking for the first time and heard booms in the sky,” Lemieux recounted.

“So, it was quite difficult. We ran down 14 or 15 flights of stairs, all the way to the main lobby, where we stayed for about nine hours just trying to gather information and stay safe.”

Lemieux noted that although the situation is under control, it has been very difficult for them. They have seen missiles flying and a lot of debris falling from the sky.

“It’s about every three to four hours we get alerts, and then about 30 to 45 minutes after, that’s when we can hear things going on. We’re trying to keep calm. People around us are very calm. They seem used to it, which is somewhat reassuring but difficult for us to understand,” he said.

Lemieux said they are scared and struggling with the unpredictability of the situation. Worse yet, their flight home on Sunday morning was cancelled, and the next flight status update is scheduled for Monday morning. They have also not been able to reach Qatar Airways.

“We spent around four or five hours on the phone on hold yesterday to try and reach them until about three in the morning. So I simply decided this morning to buy new tickets. We hopefully will be flying back on the third at 8:15 a.m., which is in two days, depending on your security here,” Lemieux said.

To make matters worse, the couple, who registered with Global Affairs Canada, said no one had reached out.

“I called them multiple times. I spoke to someone this morning in Ottawa. That was my main concern: evacuation procedures — is there a plan being set up?”

The couple has also not been able to get in touch with the Canadian embassy in Doha.

85,000 Canadians in the region

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it is “closely following developments in the Middle East,” and that it is calling on all parties to prioritize the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

As of March 1, the number of Canadians and permanent residents registered in the region is over 85,000, the government confirmed, adding that at this time, they are not aware of any Canadians who have been killed or injured, including staff at Canadian missions.

“Our ability to provide consular services to Canadians during an active conflict is limited,” Global Affairs said, adding that “priority is being given to the provision of essential services such as the processing of travel documents.”

Canadians are advised to avoid all travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE and to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Canadians in the region should:

• Be vigilant and follow the instructions of local authorities at all times, including any orders to shelter in place or to evacuate
• Sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to receive important information about the evolving situation
• Ensure that their travel documents and those of their family members are up to date
• Monitor local and international media to stay informed of the rapidly evolving situation.

Canadians may also contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa, which is open 24 hours a day.

With files from CTV News’ Olivia O’Malley and Kelly Greig