Many feared wounded as blast hits Saudi airport

Several people were reportedly wounded in an explosion at Riyadh’s international airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of travellers from parts of the facility.

Reuters reported that eyewitnesses and people briefed on the incident confirmed the blast, which left multiple people injured.

One eyewitness said an explosion occurred inside the airport, after which several people were seen lying injured on the ground.

More than a dozen ambulances were also seen rushing to the airport, according to Reuters.

The Saudi government’s media office and the country’s civil aviation authority had yet to respond to requests for comments on the incident as of the time of filing this report.

The explosion came amid escalating missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh airport had reportedly been attacked twice earlier in the week, leaving four people dead, several others wounded and an aircraft badly damaged, according to Reuters.

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that all flights to Riyadh had either been diverted or cancelled, with only a helicopter seen hovering over the airport at one point.

The airport authorities urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and confirm their flight status before travelling to the facility.

Kuwait Airways announced the cancellation of flights to and from the Saudi capital, citing the airport’s closure due to the “security situation.”

Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways also cancelled several flights between their respective hubs and Riyadh, with some cancellations extending into Monday.

The attacks have disrupted air travel ahead of major energy and investment conferences scheduled to take place in Riyadh.

However, organisers said on Saturday that the conferences would proceed as planned, while seeking to reassure attendees about security arrangements.

The Houthis have urged airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, declaring it a zone of military operations following an offensive launched against the group earlier this month by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.