OUT OF HARM'S WAY

Relief as first rescue flight lands, But huge mission is still needed

- JEREMY ARMSTRONG

RELIEVED Brits were greeted with hugs from loved ones after stepping off the first rescue flight out of Oman.

But with tens of thousands of UK nationals still in the Middle East, within reach of Iran's missiles and drones, a huge mission was still under way last night.

Many of the passengers who touched down at Stansted Airport in Essex in the early hours of yesterday had driven more than 300 miles from Dubai to get to Muscat, the capital of Oman.

The Titan Airways plane landed just before lam, carrying mostly families with children.

Amelia Reid and Samuel Sharp, from Dartford, Kent, had arrived Dubai for a break last Friday.

By Saturday evening they were sheltering under their hotel as Iran lashed out in retaliation for US and Israeli air strikes.

They had travelled for more than 40 hours by the time they landed, greeted by Amelia's parents and their dog, Penny.