Passengers and travellers caught up in a deadly missile strike at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport have recounted scenes of panic, bloodshed and confusion, as attacks blamed on Iran-backed Houthi rebels intensified across Saudi Arabia. Survivors described hearing a deafening explosion, seeing severely injured people and scrambling to safety as airport sirens sounded.The attack on Saturday killed 12 people and wounded around 300 others, some critically. The airport remained closed on Sunday after another projectile struck a passenger terminal, according to the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen.
‘My blood ran cold’
A 32-year-old Riyadh resident told that a loud explosion shook the airport before alarm sirens triggered panic among passengers, news agency AFP reported.“I heard a very loud noise, so loud that I felt the airport shake,” he said, “The airport alarm sirens went off, and that’s when the panic started.”The man said people from Terminal 3 began running towards them, with several visibly covered in blood. Some had suffered severe injuries, including the loss of a hand or an arm.“People who were in Terminal 3 started running towards us. Some had blood covering their faces,” he recounted, “Some had lost a hand or an arm. People were running while carrying injured people, covered in blood.”The scenes left him terrified and unsure how to respond. “My blood ran cold. I didn’t know where to go or what to do,” he said.Security personnel escorted him and other passengers to a lower floor. They waited there for about an hour before being allowed to leave the scene.As per the report, the passengers spoke on condition of anonymity because of the harsh measures Saudi authorities have threatened against people who speak publicly about strikes.
Doctors describe severe injuries, trauma
The impact of the attack was also felt across Riyadh’s hospitals, where the health ministry activated emergency protocols to handle a mass-casualty incident. Doctors were ordered to report to medical facilities across the capital.One doctor told that the number of casualties was unlike anything he had witnessed before. Some religious pilgrims travelling to Mecca arrived at hospitals with their white shrouds stained with blood.“The numbers were far higher than anything I had ever seen here before,” the doctor said. He described patients with severe limb injuries and shards of glass embedded in their faces and eyes.“Patients had severe limb injuries and shards of glass embedded in their faces and eyes,” he added, “At least four people suffered severe nervous breakdowns.”A Saudi military spokesman described the attack as a “full-fledged war crime”.
‘Talk to us’: Residents seek answers
Beyond the immediate casualties, repeated attacks and limited information from authorities have fuelled anxiety among residents. Saudi Arabia has remained largely silent about the scale and extent of Houthi attacks over the past three months, leaving people uncertain about the risks ahead.Warning text messages that previously alerted residents to incoming barrages have also fallen silent in recent weeks.According to the report by AFP, one frustrated Riyadh resident the lack of communication was adding to the fear.“I want to leave from here,” the resident said, “I understand they do not want to cause panic but talk to us. Communication channels will make us feel comfortable.”
Indian family stranded after flight diversion
The attacks have also disrupted air travel, leaving passengers stranded.An Indian national whose transit flight to Riyadh was diverted to Dammam said he, his wife and their young child had to spend the night at the airport. The family said their airline provided no information and their luggage was lost.“We spent the night at the airport — on the floor and chairs,” he said, “Not just us, there were at least one dozen other people around me from the same flight who kept waiting through the night.”The experience left him unwilling to transit through the kingdom again.“I am never flying through Saudi Arabia again,” he said.Another traveller, a 39-year-old woman, said she was aboard a plane heading to Riyadh when it suddenly turned back towards Jeddah. The unexpected change left passengers frightened.“We panicked,” she said.Asked whether she would fly within Saudi Arabia again while the war continued, she ruled out the possibility.“Never. I will never live this horror again,” she said.
Houthi attacks widens Middle East conflict
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the Saturday strike on Riyadh airport, as well as other strikes on Saudi targets. The Saudi-led coalition said another projectile struck a passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport on Sunday. There were no immediate details about casualties from the latest strike.The rebels also claimed attacks on King Fahd Airport in Dammam and oil and gas facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia. They warned airlines, airport workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, saying these had become vulnerable to attack. Airports in Mecca and Medina were exempted from the warning.The two sides have been fighting since 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in support of the internationally recognised government.The conflict has now raised concerns about the security of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route at the southern end of the Red Sea. A disruption there could further restrict oil shipments from the Persian Gulf, particularly as the Iran war has already threatened traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.Sunday’s strike also came as Riyadh hosted a major international energy conference, with other high-profile gatherings planned.The Saudi-led coalition has been providing air support to Yemeni government forces seeking to reverse recent Houthi gains near Bab el-Mandeb.
