India condemns 'dastardly' attacks on Saudi Arabia's Riyadh airport that killed 12

India condemns attacks on Khalid International Airport in Riyadh

NEW DELHI: India on Sunday strongly condemned repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 12 people and injured more than 300. “We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including the dastardly attack on October 10, which have led to loss of lives, injuries and damage to property,” the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said. “We express our condolences to the families of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured persons. The repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately,” it added. India also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying it stood with the country and its people in defending their sovereignty and hoped peace and normalcy would return to the region soon. Meanwhile, the US also condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s airport. Asked whether Washington had decided to join the strikes against the Houthis in Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump said, “We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. We will make a decision. We move very quickly.” He added, “Look, the Saudis are good fighters. But I think the attack was a terrible thing.” King Khalid International Airport has faced multiple attacks over the past week, following the launch of a major military offensive by a Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen. Earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport on October 6 and 7 reportedly killed three people and injured 36, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). Following the latest attack, airport operations were temporarily suspended and travellers were evacuated. Dozens of ambulances were seen rushing to the site.

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The airport also issued an alert asking passengers to check their flight status with airlines before leaving for the airport. According to flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, flights heading to Riyadh were being diverted to other destinations nearly four hours after the last flight landed at 2.05 pm local time. FlightAware reported that at least 225 flights at King Khalid International Airport had been cancelled in the preceding 24 hours.

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