Photo: liton islam / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
An Indian man from Hyderabad has died of injuries suffered in Saturday’s missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said on Sunday, October 11. India condemned the repeated strikes on the airport as “completely unacceptable”, hours before the same airport was hit again, killing one more person.
Family was travelling for Umrah
The man was identified by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi as Mohammad Yousuf Ali, a resident of Mehdipatnam in Hyderabad. He was part of a 13-member group on an Umrah pilgrimage and was at the airport waiting to travel on to Medina when the October 10 attack took place. A section of the roof is reported to have collapsed on him.
Members of his family were also hurt. A relative said one of his sons had surgery for a knee injury and another was being treated for a leg injury.
The embassy said at least 10 Indians were among the more than 300 people injured. After visiting the hospitals, it said three were in intensive care but stable, two were in general wards and the rest had been discharged. It added that it was in touch with the family and would help with the early repatriation of his mortal remains.
Deeply grieved at the loss of life of an Indian national in the Riyadh attack. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The Embassy will extend all possible assistance.
S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister
New Delhi condemns the attacks
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs strongly condemned the repeated attacks on the airport over the past few days, including what it called the “dastardly” strike of October 10, and said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop immediately. It said India stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia in defence of its sovereignty.
The embassy had issued an advisory on Thursday asking Indians in the kingdom to stay alert, remain indoors when needed and follow instructions from local authorities.
Airport hit again on Sunday
Saturday’s strike killed at least 12 people of several nationalities, according to Saudi authorities, and was the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since the war involving Israel, the US and Iran began in February. On Sunday, a projectile struck Passenger Hall No. 4 and started a fire; Saudi aviation officials said a Pakistani resident was killed and 11 people were injured, while air defences intercepted another missile near the airport.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed the attacks, saying they were retaliating for Saudi support to government forces in Yemen’s civil war. They warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi airports, saying all of them except those in Mecca and Medina were potential targets. A truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, agreed in 2022, collapsed in July.
What happens next
US President Donald Trump has said Washington will decide quickly whether to strike the Houthis, and the Saudi-led coalition has vowed to respond. For Indian families, the embassy’s focus is on the treatment of the injured and bringing Yousuf Ali’s body home to Hyderabad.
