Dammam Airport Attack: One Indian Killed, Two Injured in Saudi Arabia
Image: The Tribune (representative photo)
One Indian national was killed and two others were injured when Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia was attacked on the night of Wednesday, 21 October, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said on Thursday. The embassy said Saudi authorities had told it that the Indian was one of two people who died. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) later condemned the continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in the kingdom and called them unacceptable.
Embassy Seeks Details and Contacts Families
The embassy said it is ascertaining further details, contacting the affected families and will give all necessary help to the injured. The MEA said it conveyed condolences to the family of the Indian who died and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Saudi aviation authorities said airport operations have resumed and air traffic is back to normal.
The Indian victim has not been named in the statements. Saudi authorities put the total injured at the airport at eight, including expatriates of several nationalities, without a breakdown by country.
A Second Strike at the Shaybah Oilfield
A day earlier, a drone targeting a facility at the Shaybah oilfield in the Eastern Province was intercepted, the Saudi Energy Ministry said. Falling debris killed two foreign workers, a Filipino and a Nepali national, and injured two others, an Indian and a Pakistani. The ministry said operations at the oilfield were not affected.
Airports Under Attack Since Early October
Dammam is the latest in a series of strikes on Saudi aviation sites this month. Saudi civil aviation authorities reported 12 deaths and 309 injuries in the 10 October attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and earlier attacks on the Riyadh and Abha airports on 6 and 7 October that killed three people. One Indian died in the Riyadh attack, the MEA said at its 14 October briefing. Air India had cancelled flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah until 20 October because of the security situation.
Saudi authorities have not publicly named those behind the Dammam or Shaybah attacks in the reports available on Thursday. The embassy said it was awaiting further details from Saudi authorities. More updates are on the Daily Updates page.
Source: Based on reporting by The Tribune, Deccan Herald and The Federal, quoting the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the MEA.
Image: The Tribune (representative photo).
