Indian national among two killed in attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd airport
Eight injured in Dammam airport attack; Indian embassy contacts affected families as flight operations resume
An Indian national and a Saudi citizen were killed in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to Saudi aviation authorities
Eight people were injured; the Indian embassy said it was gathering information and contacting affected families
Airport operations resumed as Saudi Arabia faced further attacks amid renewed fighting in Yemen
An Indian national and a Saudi citizen were killed in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Thursday.
Eight others were injured, including people from India, Yemen and Bangladesh, according to the authority. Officials were assessing the damage, but airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.
The Indian embassy in Riyadh said it was seeking further details and reaching out to the affected families. It expressed condolences to the family of the Indian victim and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
The attack comes amid an escalation in strikes by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement against Saudi airports, energy installations and other infrastructure. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was attacked on 8 October.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said debris from the interception of a drone targeting an oil facility had killed two people and injured two others.
The United States ordered non-essential embassy personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, citing the worsening security situation.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said increasingly frequent Houthi attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure had caused civilian casualties and substantial travel disruption.
The Indian embassy had separately issued safety advice on Sunday, urging nationals to follow instructions from Saudi authorities when receiving emergency alerts.
The guidance advised people to remain calm, move immediately to the nearest safe location inside a building and stay indoors until authorities indicated it was safe to leave.
According to an AFP tally drawn from official figures, attacks on Saudi airports have killed 22 people this month.
The escalation follows the collapse in July of a years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war. The Houthis are fighting the Yemeni government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
The movement announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and launched attacks on its shipping, territory and oil infrastructure. In September, Houthi forces also captured areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast previously held by government forces.
Saudi Arabia has responded with repeated air strikes on Houthi-controlled territory. The group continues to control large parts of Yemen.
With agency inputs