A Scottish household evacuated from Lebanon have shared their anger with the federal government after their non-British mom was blocked from boarding the flight with two of her youngsters.
Nadia Ayoub McCulloch, 51, and her youngsters Thomas, 19, and Rebecca, 16, tried to fly out from Beirut-Rafic Hariri Worldwide Airport to Birmingham attributable to the ongoing conflict with Israel which has seen town bombed.
Nonetheless, Ms McCulloch was turned away by officers as she doesn’t have a UK passport or visa, which means solely her youngsters have been allowed to depart.
Her Scottish husband of 20 years, William McCulloch, 62, now intends to journey again to Lebanon from Iraq within the hope he can reunite along with his spouse and depart the nation collectively.
He mentioned: “I simply do not perceive it. We paid for the three seats, she went to the airport, and she or he was advised that she will be able to’t get on the flight as a result of she did not have a visa.
“Rebecca organised every part and she or he might have been advised earlier than she left the home (that Ms McCulloch could be unable to board the flight), however she thought she would simply go and check out as a result of she wished to go along with the youngsters, however she was advised categorically, no.”
A spokesperson for the Overseas, Commonwealth & Improvement Workplace mentioned: “FCDO continues to advise in opposition to all journey to Lebanon.
“If you’re at the moment in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave, whereas industrial choices stay out there.”
Mr McCulloch, who has lived in Lebanon since 2002, mentioned the couple have been evacuated with Thomas through the 2006 Lebanon warfare and had “no downside in any way” on that event.
Mr McCulloch works with humanitarian organisation Norwegian Individuals’s Help and is at the moment working to clear unexploded ordnance in Iraq.
He’ll fly again to Beirut later in October, regardless of the continuing conflict.
He added: “I’ve no issues going again into Beirut – if one thing occurs, one thing occurs, however 100% I am going again to my spouse.”
Evacuation cost a ‘low blow’
His son David Hardie, 36, who lives in Carluke, mentioned it was a “plenty of weight” off his shoulders to have his siblings again in Scotland.
He mentioned: “Even once they introduced the flight, there was nothing a few ceasefire or how they have been going to get to the airport or something… that was scary for them, as a result of you do not know when the subsequent bomb goes to hit”.
Mr Hardie mentioned he was “offended” over the visa scenario.
He added: “They have been married for over 20 years – it is not like they have been married for 2 or three years, they have been married 20 years, and she will be able to’t even get evacuated from a warfare.”
Mr Hardie additionally criticised the price of the UK authorities flights out of Lebanon, which have been £350 per particular person.
He mentioned the associated fee was a “low blow”.
Mr Hardie added: “We’re not poor or something however I nonetheless really feel like, in case you’ve been evacuated from a war-torn nation, there ought to have been extra assist.
“I feel that was a shock. Like, you get a textual content message, you click on a hyperlink, you go in, you signal your identify, your passport quantity, after which on the finish, it asks you for £350.
“There might need been households over there who could not afford that.”