After working in Saudi Arabia for two years, Shahed Ahmed Ashik returned home to Bangladesh for a cherished month-long holiday.
He spent a precious, happy time with his wife and young children in Madla Paschimpara village, located in the Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura.
When the day came for him to depart, his relatives wept bitterly as they bade him farewell. Those tears have yet to stop.
The flight carrying Ashik landed safely at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Having successfully cleared all immigration formalities, he was preparing to leave the terminal when disaster struck without warning. A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels exploded inside the facility, tragically claiming his life.
Since the devastating news reached his ancestral village, Ashik’s wife and two young sons, aged just 11 and six, have been crying inconsolably.
His entire extended family remains consumed by profound grief. Shahed’s father, Rafiqul Islam, who has worked in Saudi Arabia for nearly 27 years, had arranged for his son to join him there for work in 2024.
Ashik had arrived back in Bangladesh in the second week of September. After enjoying a brief respite with his loved ones, he bade a final farewell to his family at their Shajahanpur home on 9 October, boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia at 9am the following day. The aircraft touched down at Terminal 3 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, shortly before the strike occurred.
At least 12 people were killed in the assault, including Ashik and another Bangladeshi national, Md Nasrullah Badarpuri, hailing from Badarpur village in Nangalkot of Cumilla.
At least 309 others sustained injuries, including four Bangladeshis who are currently receiving critical treatment in the intensive care unit of King Khalid Hospital in Riyadh, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nasrullah, who served as the nazim-e-talimat (curriculum secretary) at Jamia Arabia Rabiul Ulum Madrasa in Kamrangirchar, Dhaka, had travelled to the Gulf kingdom alongside a delegation of 45 ulema to perform umrah. He was killed in the sudden blast while collecting a boarding pass for a connecting flight to Jeddah.
Initially reported missing in the chaos following the explosion, Nasrullah’s death was subsequently confirmed through information provided by his travelling companions and sources at the Bangladeshi Embassy in Riyadh.
Kamrangirchar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Azaharul Islam also confirmed the death of Mufti Nasrullah. Golam Rasul Shamim, president of the BNP’s Ward 56 unit, said the news had cast a pall of grief over the entire community of Islamic scholars and madrasas across Kamrangirchar.
He explained that the deceased had been at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia alongside a delegation of 45 Umrah pilgrims, comprising students, teachers, and guardians from the madrasa who were travelling together to perform the holy pilgrimage.
Two other individuals from the same madrasa are reportedly receiving hospital treatment in critical condition. Among the delegation from Rabiul Ulum Madrasa, Maulana Saeed, Maulana Riaz Mansur, Maulana Abdullah, Maulana Saffat Rahman, Maulana Daud Islam, Maulana Nurullah, Maulana Arman, Maulana Masud, and Hafez Hasan also sustained injuries in the missile attack.
While 32 members of his Umrah delegation escaped the strike unharmed, Nasrullah tragically lost his life.
Nangalkot Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahinur Islam confirmed that local authorities had visited the victim’s father and brother to offer condolences and assure them of full administrative support.
Nasrullah’s grieving father, Mohammad Ullah, recounted that his son was struck down shortly after completing border formalities.
Receiving news of the tragedy around 4pm on Sunday, he pleaded, “All I want is for my son’s body to be brought back home safely so we can perform his final rites.”
Rising casualty list amid regional escalation
The latest deaths bring the total number of Bangladeshi nationals killed since the US-Israel conflict with Iran erupted in February to 14, according to official data.
The Bangladeshi mission in Riyadh is working closely with Saudi authorities to guarantee emergency medical treatment for the injured and to expedite the repatriation of the deceased.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam informed journalists that one Bangladeshi national had previously been killed during earlier strikes launched by Houthi rebels targeting Saudi territory. “Tragically, this time, two more have lost their lives,” she said.
Expressing deep anxiety over the rising casualties, Shama said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment were working in unison to render all possible assistance to the affected families. She voiced hope that hostilities in the region would cease swiftly.
“It is heartbreaking to accept the deaths of innocent people who leave their families behind to seek a livelihood abroad, work tirelessly, earn foreign exchange and serve as our nation’s remittance warriors,” she said.
She added that the Bangladeshi mission maintains continuous communication with the wider expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, monitoring their welfare and issuing safety advisories.
State support mobilised for pilgrims and workers
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Religious Affairs affirmed that the government was according the highest priority to the safety, medical care, accommodation, and travel needs of Bangladeshi citizens and Umrah pilgrims currently in Saudi Arabia.
Inter-agency coordination is ongoing to ensure that stranded travellers experience no unnecessary hardship and that pilgrims complete their rituals safely before returning home.
According to a follow-up briefing issued by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, the strike on King Khalid International Airport resulted in 12 fatalities, including four Saudi citizens and residents, and left 309 people injured, several critically.
Beyond the two Bangladeshis, the deceased include nationals from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan.
Saudi emergency services are continuing to treat the injured across multiple medical facilities while assessing the extent of structural damage to the terminal.
“We have confirmed that four Bangladeshis are currently receiving specialized care in the ICU at King Khalid Hospital,” Shama Obaed confirmed.
Dhaka issue stiff condemnation
In an official statement released on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Bangladesh’s strong and unequivocal condemnation of the deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport.
The ministry reaffirmed that diplomats in Riyadh remain in direct liaison with Saudi officials to gather further details and facilitate emergency assistance. Bangladesh also extended its full solidarity to the government and people of Saudi Arabia.
Dhaka issued an urgent appeal for an immediate cessation of hostilities, demanding the protection of civilians and vital public infrastructure. The government urged all warring factions to pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy to preserve regional peace and stability.
This followed a prior condemnation issued by the foreign ministry on Thursday regarding targeted strikes on civilian infrastructure across Saudi Arabia.
Emphasising that such actions blatantly violate international humanitarian law, endanger innocent lives, and destabilise the broader region, Bangladesh reiterated its unwavering support for the Kingdom’s security.
