At least twelve people have lost their lives and another 309 have been injured after the attack carried out this Saturday by Houthi militias against King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an incident that has forced the evacuation of part of the facilities and the cancellation of several scheduled flights.
"The General Authority of Civil Aviation (Saudi, GACA) clarifies that the attack has caused twelve deaths, including those of four Saudi citizens and residents of the following nationalities: two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian, and one Sudanese," this agency has reported in an official statement.
In addition, the attack has left 309 injured, "including several individuals in critical condition." "All the injured are receiving the necessary medical attention in various hospitals," the aviation authority has specified, which has also confirmed "material damages" still in the evaluation phase.
Before specifying the victim count, GACA had indicated that "operations at the airport have been temporarily suspended pending a complete assessment of the damages and verification of the security of the facilities, in coordination with the competent authorities."
The incident was initially known through a "Travel Alert for passengers in Riyadh," in which the authorities asked travelers to "contact each airline directly and confirm the flight before heading to the airport," due to the situation generated by the attack.
International media have described several fire spots caused by the impact of the Houthi projectiles, which would have forced the evacuation of Terminal 3 after a "direct impact" that left numerous injured, according to "The Wall Street Journal."
Reports point to a large deployment of ambulances and helicopters to transport the injured to King Fahad Hospital in Riyadh. Witnesses in the area have reported loud explosions and columns of smoke rising from the airport area.
The version of the airline Kuwait Airways has also been confirmed, which has announced the cancellation of two flights to Riyadh due to "security issues that have forced the airport to close."
Canada, Germany, and Ireland have issued advisories to their nationals recommending avoiding the airport in the Saudi capital. In the case of Canada, the alert explicitly mentions "military activity" in the vicinity.
This attack occurs just two days after another deadly incident recorded on Thursday, in which three people died, including a pilot from the Saudi flag airline Saudia, and in which an airplane was completely destroyed.