VCU Qatar students asked to shelter in place after Israeli airstrike

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) students in Qatar were asked to shelter in place following an airstrike in Doha on Tuesday.

The airstrike was conducted by Israeli forces on Tuesday, Sept. 9, in Doha, Qatar. 8News reached out to VCU's public affairs office following the incident for the status of its students at its VCUarts Qatar campus.

"While the strikes did not occur in close proximity to Education City, VCUarts Qatar conveyed a shelter in place advisory to the community for several hours, per guidance from the US Embassy in Qatar," stated Michael Porter, Associate Vice President for University of Public affairs.

According to officials, classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day. There was no evacuation carried out. However, students, faculty and staff reportedly "went home when they could."

According to the statement released by Porter, campus leadership has been in frequent touch with the community, issuing updates as they became available.

Campus leadership and the crisis management team are reportedly in close contact with the Qatar Foundation, other partner universities, the U.S. Embassy, as well as colleagues at VCU in Richmond.

Porter said classes and operations resumed at the university on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in alignment with other universities and schools in Qatar.