Riyadh airport attack: Indian embassy says one Indian dead, 11 injured; death toll disputed

A projectile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, October 10, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 300, according to Saudi and Indian official figures cited in Indian media. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that one Indian citizen injured in the attack had died, and that 11 Indians were among the injured.

What happened

The Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility for several attacks on Saudi Arabia in the previous 24 hours, including the strike on Riyadh's airport, according to the BBC as cited by Scroll.in. Scroll.in adds that the BBC called it the deadliest strike on Saudi Arabia since May 2015 and that the Houthis have warned airlines against using Saudi airports and airspace. The reports read do not describe in detail how the projectile reached the terminal.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation put the toll at 12 dead and 309 injured, Telangana Today reports. Scroll.in cites an Indian embassy post giving 13 dead and more than 300 injured, and lists the dead as people of several nationalities, citing the Saudi civil aviation authority: four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.

Indians affected

The Indian embassy said a man from Hyderabad, who was in Saudi Arabia for an Umrah trip, died of his injuries, Scroll.in reports. According to ANI, relayed by The Free Press Journal, opposition politician Asaduddin Owaisi said the man died when a roof collapsed in the attack. The embassy said that of the 11 injured Indians, three were in intensive care in stable condition and two were in regular wards, and that others had been discharged (Scroll.in). Telangana Today reports that members of the man's family were also hurt.

The embassy said it was in touch with the family and would help with repatriating the body. Telangana Today later reported that the family chose to hold the funeral in Riyadh, with prayers after the Isha prayer on Monday, and the embassy said it was assisting with formalities. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar wrote on X that he was deeply grieved and that the embassy would give all possible help, according to Telangana Today and ANI.

India's Ministry of External Affairs strongly condemned the repeated attacks on the airport over several days, called attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure unacceptable, and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, according to Telangana Today.

Later figures

The toll rose in later reporting. AP, republished by Nagaland Post on October 15, said strikes on the airport over the past week killed at least 18 people and injured more than 300. Dawn reports that Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis launched 20 attacks on the airport in October, killing 17 people and wounding 333. Dawn notes that the casualty figures come from the coalition. Scroll.in and Telangana Today figures relate to the October 10 strike; the later figures cover repeated attacks, and the reports read do not reconcile them.