Another Indian dies after Riyadh airport attack; toll in conflict reaches 24
An Indian national critically injured in the October 10 attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has died, the Indian Embassy said on Wednesday. Twenty-four Indians have now been reported killed in the West Asia conflict since February.
- The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed the death on Wednesday.
- The man was hurt in the October 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport.
- Twenty-four Indians have died in the wider conflict, 15 of them seafarers.
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed on Wednesday that an Indian national critically injured in the October 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport has died. According to Gulf News, the man had been in intensive care at a hospital in the Saudi capital. Gulf News attributes the attack to the Houthis.
Arab News quoted the embassy as saying: "With a heavy heart, we share that another Indian national, critically injured in the Oct. 10 attack on Riyadh airport, has passed away in the intensive care unit of a Riyadh hospital." Arab News described him as the second Indian victim of that attack.
The embassy did not give the man's identity or details of his injuries. It said it had stayed by the family during the hospitalisation and would keep supporting them. It offered condolences and said it would help bring the remains to India or arrange a funeral in Riyadh, depending on the family's wishes.
The October 10 attack killed another Indian national and injured 10 others. A separate attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on October 21 killed an Indian and injured two more. According to an Associated Press report cited by Gulf News, a missile hit a complex at the Riyadh airport housing Terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights.
Saudi civil aviation authorities reported multiple casualties, including nationals of Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Palestine, the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan.
The death brings to 24 the number of Indians reported killed in the wider West Asia conflict, which began in February after US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Fifteen of the 24 were seafarers. On Monday an Indian seafarer died after a projectile struck an Indian-flagged cargo vessel off Oman, and Oman's Coast Guard rescued 13 other Indian crew members aboard the MSV Al Jusufi.
Flights are also affected. Akasa Air has suspended services to and from Jeddah until November 18 and Riyadh until November 30. Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo have extended cancellations to key Saudi destinations until November 14, while Saudi carrier flynas announced extra flights linking Dammam and Riyadh with several Indian cities.
The Indian Consulate in Jeddah is working with airlines, tour operators and community groups to help stranded nationals. Its 24-hour control rooms in Jeddah and Makkah are helping with essentials such as food and medicines.
Why it matters
The conflict is affecting flights and travel to Saudi Arabia, where many Pakistani workers live and travel, and it shows the risk at Gulf airports.
