The government will bear the costs of bringing the bodies of the deceased Bangladeshis back home, says State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam.
Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 8 October 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Photo: Social Media/via Reuters
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Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 8 October 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Photo: Social Media/via Reuters
Two Bangladeshis have been killed and four others are receiving treatment in intensive care units (ICUs) following an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said.
The overall death toll from yesterday’s (10 October) attack has reached 12, including the two Bangladeshis, she told reporters today at the foreign ministry.
The state minister added that authorities are working to confirm the identities of all the victims.
Bangladesh has already lost 14 nationals in ongoing Middle East conflicts, the state minister said, expressing concern over further casualties among Bangladeshi migrant workers, who contribute significantly to the country’s remittance earnings.
“We have already lost 14 Bangladeshis in this war. We do not want any more of our remittance warriors to die,” Shama said.
The government will bear the costs of bringing the bodies of the deceased Bangladeshis back home, she added.
The attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 12 people and injured 309, prompting a complete suspension of operations at Saudi Arabia’s main aviation hub.
The dead also include four Saudi nationals and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.
Eyewitnesses reported that gate 401 in one of the passenger terminals had been struck directly, triggering panic as passengers fled.
More than a dozen ambulances rushed to the scene as authorities assessed structural damage.
The Saudi-led coalition, a military alliance of Arab states, blamed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen for the attack, calling the strike a “fully-fledged war crime” and vowing a firm response.
The attack follows a series of strikes targeting Saudi infrastructure. Two airport attacks shortly before the Riyadh incident killed three Saudi nationals, including a pilot. Three people were also killed in Houthi strikes on two Saudi airports on 6 and 7 October.
Bangladesh today strongly and unequivocally condemned yesterday’s attack.
“Attacks endangering civilian lives and targeting civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and must cease immediately,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
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