First wave of Europeans stranded by Iran conflict return home, with hundreds of thousands still left in region – Europe live

British, Czech, Italian and Polish media report first successful returns from Oman and the United Arab Emirates

The first wave of European travellers stranded by the Middle East conflict returned home overnight, securing seats on the few remaining flights out of the region.

British, Czech, Italian and Polish media reported first successful returns from Oman and the United Arab Emirates after just a few carriers managed to take off and leave the affected area.

Hundreds of thousands are still believed to be in the region with countries stepping up their evacuation plans, with many countries continuing to advise them to shelter in place until the situation improves.

The European Commission said late on Monday it was working on “stepping up support for Member States’ evacuation and repatriation efforts.”