24 Bangladeshis injured in Riyadh airport missile attack: Expat Ministry
Dhaka: At least 24 Bangladeshis were injured in a missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while two were killed, according to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.
The attack took place at around 3:15pm on October 10, when a missile exploded over Terminal 3 of the airport, affecting passengers from Bangladesh and several other countries, the ministry said in a statement.
Of the 24 injured Bangladeshis, 11 are migrant workers, and 13 were travelling on Umrah visas. They are receiving treatment at different hospitals in Riyadh, according to the ministry’s preliminary information.
Three Bangladeshis are currently being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of King Abdullah Hospital. Representatives of the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh have visited them and spoken with them. Their conditions are currently stable, the ministry said.
Another two Bangladeshis are receiving treatment at the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh. One of them, identified as Saffat Rahman, is unconscious, according to the ministry’s report.
The injured are also being treated at several other hospitals, including Riyadh Medical Hospital, Prince Sultan Military Hospital, branches of Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, Kingdom Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Ester Sanad Hospital, and Sulaiman Fakeeh Hospital.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh is maintaining contact with hospital authorities to collect detailed information about the injured and ensure they receive proper medical treatment, the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the attack killed 12 people and injured 309 in total, including the two Bangladeshis. The identities of the deceased Bangladeshis were identified as Shahed Ahmed, a plumber employed by Saudi company Saad Al Eisa Contracting Company, and Nasrullah Badarpuri, who had travelled to Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa.
Ahmed was returning to his workplace in Jeddah via Riyadh after visiting Bangladesh on leave following his brother’s death. Badarpuri was waiting at the airport to travel from Riyadh to Jeddah during transit.
Embassy assists stranded passengers
The Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh has also assisted around 500 Bangladeshi passengers stranded following the incident, with support from airport authorities, Saudi immigration officials, and airlines.
Around 100 passengers awaiting onward domestic flights were provided with accommodation and meals at the Riyadh Marriott Hotel, the Radisson Hotel, and the dormitory of Princess Nourah University.
The embassy also arranged special bus transport to Jeddah for 67 Bangladeshi pilgrims who had arrived from Bangladesh to perform Umrah and were wearing ihram garments.
In addition, arrangements were made to transport around 400 Bangladeshi passengers affected by the cancellation of Saudia flight SV804 from Riyadh to Dhaka to Bangladesh via King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The embassy also assisted two Bangladeshi workers travelling from Riyadh to Bahrain through the land border at Al Khobar.
The ministry said the embassy was continuing its coordination with relevant authorities to provide assistance to injured Bangladeshis and passengers affected by the airport incident.
