Indian and Pakistani Nationals Killed as Houthi Strikes on Riyadh Airport Escalate
A series of Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in mid-October 2026 killed at least 14 people, among them Indian and Pakistani nationals employed as migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. The Indian Embassy moved to arrange repatriation of an Indian victim's remains while Indian airlines suspended Riyadh routes, leaving South Asian families to absorb the human and economic toll of a conflict far beyond their control.
Indian National Among 13 Dead After Houthi Strike on Oct. 10
The death toll from Saturday's Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh rose to 13 after an Indian national succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, October 11, 2026, the Indian Embassy announced. The embassy confirmed the development in a Facebook statement, saying an Indian citizen injured in the October 10 attack had "unfortunately lost his life." The Indian Embassy extended condolences to the victim's family and stated it was in contact with relatives. The embassy pledged full support to ensure the prompt repatriation of his remains to India. Saudi authorities had reported that Saturday's initial attack killed 12 people and injured 309 others; the Indian national's death brought the confirmed toll to 13. The consular response highlighted the scale of India's South Asian migrant presence in Saudi Arabia and the Indian government's established duty-of-care responsibilities toward nationals abroad. The swift intervention by the Indian Embassy to manage repatriation underscored the operational protocols in place for crises affecting the large Indian workforce in the kingdom, and signalled the depth of concern for the welfare of Indian workers in a rapidly deteriorating security environment. [1]
Pakistani National Killed in Second Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport
A second Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on the evening of October 11, 2026, killed a Pakistani national and wounded 11 others, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed on Monday, October 12. The authority stated that the 11 injured had been taken to hospitals for treatment while relevant Saudi authorities assessed the material damage caused by the strike. The attack came one day after a larger Saturday assault, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility, placing 13 killed and 309 wounded at the same airport. Earlier Saudi figures had given the Saturday toll as 12, meaning the later report reflected a higher fatality count. The repeated targeting of Riyadh's main international airport placed civilian aviation at the centre of the escalating confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi forces. For the hundreds of thousands of Pakistani workers who depend on King Khalid International Airport to travel between the kingdom and home, the succession of strikes generated grave concern about the safety of their primary air travel gateway and the ongoing viability of the South Asian migrant employment corridor in the Gulf. [3]
🏢 Indian Airlines Suspend Riyadh Flights Amid Escalating Houthi Attacks
Lufthansa and Indian airlines suspended flights to Riyadh following Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport, Al-Monitor reported on October 8, 2026. The suspensions reflected wider caution among international carriers about the safety of operations into Riyadh amid the ongoing Houthi missile and drone campaign targeting the airport. Indian carriers serve critical air routes connecting Indian cities to Riyadh and form a key link for the millions of South Asian workers and diaspora members who rely on regular, affordable flights to maintain contact with families and remit earnings home. The halting of Indian airline services disrupted travel for Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia, as well as those in India seeking to return to work or visit family in the kingdom. The South Asian migrant community, already coping with the threat of violence at the airport, faced additional disruption as the flight suspensions reduced available options. The coordinated pattern of international airline withdrawals signalled the gravity of the security threat created by sustained Houthi targeting of the airport and raised serious questions about the timeline for restoring normal air links for South Asian migrant workers. [2]
Pakistani Porter Rizwan Ullah Killed at Riyadh Airport, Leaves Family Without Support
Rizwan Ullah, 38, a Pakistani national employed as a porter carrying passengers' luggage at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, was killed in the October 11 Houthi attack, Arab News Pakistan reported on October 21. He had left his village in northwestern Pakistan to escape poverty, with the goal of building a brick home for his family and paying for his three children's education. His father, Aziz Ullah Khan, learned of the death when a fellow villager returned from Saudi Arabia to offer condolences, leaving the elderly man to face a future without his son's remittances and the unfinished house Rizwan had promised to complete. His story brought the consequences of renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis directly to a poor rural Pakistani family entirely dependent on a migrant son's income. Family and friends appealed for community support in the wake of the tragedy. His death exemplified the profound vulnerability of Pakistani workers in low-wage Gulf employment who possess little protection when regional conflict escalates, and drew attention to the thousands of similar South Asian migrant workers at the airport who face comparable risks. [5]
Sources: [1] Anadolu Ajansı · [3] Kurdistan24 · [2] Al-Monitor · [5] Arab News PK