indian killed in saudi
New Delhi, Oct. 23 -- An Indian man was killed and three others injured in strikes on a major airport and oil field in Saudi Arabia, officials said on Thursday, as Houthi rebels continued attacks on civil infrastructure in the Gulf country. India on Thursday expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia while condemning the attacks and backing the early restoration of peace and normalcy in West Asia. The Indian side also said it is working with airlines and tour operators to facilitate the early return of Indian pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia because of the suspension of flights by Indian carriers following the recent escalation of hostilities.
An attack on King Fahd international airport on Wednesday evening killed two people, including an Indian, while two Indians were among eight people injured. Another Indian was injured by debris from a drone intercepted over Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield on Wednesday.
"We strongly condemn the continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including the attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield in the Eastern Province on October 21," the external affairs ministry said in a statement. Such attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure are "completely unacceptable and must cease immediately", the Indian side reiterated. "We stand in solidarity with the people and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty, and hope that peace and normalcy would return to the region at the earliest," it said. While conveying condolences to the family of the Indian killed in Dammam and wishing the speedy recovery of the injured, the statement said the Indian embassy in Riyadh is in touch with Saudi authorities and providing assistance to the affected Indian nationals.
The latest attacks on Saudi infrastructure reflect the escalation of the conflict between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government of Yemen. One Indian was killed and 10 more injured in an attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on October 10.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media that the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah are "engaging with concerned airlines and tour operators to facilitate the early return of affected pilgrims".
West Asia is home to more than 10 million Indians, a majority of them blue collar workers, including employees of oilfields and infrastructure facilities such as airports....
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.