Photo: w a n t o i i from Cagayan de oro city, philippines / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
An Indian worker was among two people injured on Wednesday (October 21) when debris from a drone shot down over Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field fell on a contractor’s vehicle, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said. Two other workers, a Filipino and a Nepali national, were killed, and a Pakistani national was also hurt. Within hours, the United States ordered its non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia.
What happened at Shaybah
According to the ministry, Saudi air defences intercepted the drone on Wednesday morning as it tried to hit a processing facility at the field in the Eastern Province. The wreckage came down outside the facility’s perimeter and set a contractor’s vehicle on fire. The ministry said oil operations were not affected and that the authorities had taken the necessary steps. It did not say who launched the drone.
Shaybah lies deep in the Empty Quarter desert, about 10 km south of the border with Abu Dhabi. The kingdom’s airports and energy sites have come under repeated attack this month from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, whose fighting with the Saudi-led coalition resumed after a four-year UN-backed truce collapsed in July.
Indian embassy steps in
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said it had learnt of the injury and was in touch with Saudi authorities while it waited for more details. It promised all necessary help to the injured worker, whose name and condition have not been made public.
We will provide all necessary help to the injured Indian national.
Indian Embassy in Riyadh, in a post on X
The incident adds to a worrying run for Indian workers and seafarers in the Gulf. On the same day, the Kuwait-flagged tanker M/T Al Dasma, which has 21 Indians among its crew, was struck by an unidentified projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said all crew members were safe. Earlier this month, a Hyderabad pilgrim died after an attack on Riyadh’s airport.
US pulls out non-essential staff
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Washington had issued an “ordered departure” for non-emergency employees and their families in Saudi Arabia, citing Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other infrastructure that had caused civilian casualties and serious travel disruption. US officials also told international news agencies that family members would be withdrawn from several other missions in the region.
Late on Wednesday, the Saudi civil aviation authority said an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam had killed one person and injured eight, with damage still being assessed. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, shut on October 10 after being hit several times, reopened for domestic flights the same day, though a number of foreign airlines have cancelled services.
Why it matters and what comes next
Saudi Arabia is home to a large Indian workforce, so every strike on its oil sites and airports carries a direct risk for Indian families. The escalation is also pushing up fuel costs: Brent crude rose about 1.2% to around $110 a barrel early on Thursday as traders reacted to the US move.
The Houthis have threatened more strikes on Saudi airports and oil facilities. On Sunday, US missions across West Asia had already warned American citizens in 12 countries, from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Iran and Israel, to prepare for flight cancellations and airspace closures, saying the hostilities could escalate rapidly.
