Two Bangladeshis killed, 4 in ICU after Houthi attack on Riyadh Airport

Two Bangladeshi nationals were killed and four others were critically injured in an attack by Houthi rebels on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam said at a Foreign Ministry briefing on Sunday.

The four injured Bangladeshis are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of King Khalid Hospital, Shama Obaid said. The Bangladesh mission in Riyadh is coordinating with Saudi authorities to confirm the identities of the dead and injured.

The two Bangladeshis killed in the attack were identified as Shahid Ahmed of Shahjahanpur upazila in Bogura and Nasrullah Badrpuri of Nangalkot upazila in Cumilla.

Shama Obaid said the government would contact the victims’ families and their respective village homes after their identities had been fully confirmed.

The government will bear all costs related to bringing the bodies of the deceased back to Bangladesh, she said. The Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment will jointly coordinate with Saudi authorities and the victims’ employers to expedite the repatriation process.

A total of 14 Bangladeshis, including one killed in an earlier Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia, have died during the ongoing Middle East conflict, the state minister said.

“This is extremely painful. We do not want to lose any more remittance warriors in this war,” Shama Obaid said, offering condolences to the bereaved families and calling for an immediate end to the war and attacks on civilians.

Prime Minister Tarek Rahman has directed the government to treat the safety and welfare of Bangladeshis working abroad as its highest priority, she said.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights to Riyadh were temporarily suspended, although no Bangladeshi aircraft or flight has so far been reported damaged, according to the state minister.

The Foreign Ministry condemned the deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in a statement issued on Sunday. The ministry also stressed the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and resolve the ongoing crisis through diplomacy and negotiations.