Indian Death Toll in Gulf Conflict Hits 24
The death toll of Indian nationals in the West Asia conflict has risen to 24 following recent fatalities in Saudi Arabia and at sea.
The number of Indian nationals lost due to the ongoing West Asia conflict has climbed to 24. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed the latest fatality following a series of projectile attacks and maritime incidents that have impacted the large Indian diaspora living and working across the region.
Tragedy at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport
The latest victim has been identified as Shaikh Sayeed, a man aged between 36 and 40 from the Kamareddy district in Telangana. Sayeed had been a long-term employee at a Starbucks outlet within the King Khalid International Airport terminal, where he had worked for nearly 12 years.
He succumbed to his injuries in the intensive care unit after undergoing more than three weeks of medical treatment following a projectile attack on the airport on October 10. Ambassador Shri Vipul confirmed that Sayeed will be buried in Riyadh, leaving behind a wife, three children, and brothers who are also residing in the Kingdom.
Sayeed was not the first Indian casualty of that specific strike. The initial fatality from the October 10 attack was Mohammed Yousuf (also known as Yusuf Ali), a 46-year-old IT professional from Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad. Yousuf was traveling with his family for Umrah when he sustained fatal blast injuries; his family members were also wounded in the incident.
The violence at Saudi airports has continued, with an additional Indian national reported killed following a subsequent attack on King Fahd Airport in Dammam on October 21.
Maritime Attacks and Seafarer Fatalities
Beyond aerial attacks, Indian commercial vessels have also come under fire. On November 2, the Indian-flagged vessel MSV Al Jusufi was struck by an unidentified aerial object near Limah, Oman. The ship was transporting 950 tonnes of dates from the UAE to Porbandar, Gujarat, at the time of the strike.
While 13 of the 14 Indian crew members were rescued by the Omani Coast Guard after abandoning the burning ship into a liferaft, one crew member did not survive. Gandhar Nahim Ajij, a resident of Salaya in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat, died from his injuries while being transported to Khasab Port.
The Indian Shipping Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Ministry of External Affairs have formally condemned the targeting of commercial vessels in these waters.
Impact on the Indian Diaspora
Since February, the hostilities in the region have resulted in the deaths of 24 Indian nationals, 15 of whom were seafarers. The scale of the crisis is significant given the massive Indian presence in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries:
- Total Indian diaspora in GCC: Approximately 10 million
- Indian nationals in the UAE: 4 million
- Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia: Between 2.7 and 2.8 million
In response to the instability, Indian missions have facilitated the return of over 300,000 nationals since late February, including more than 3,200 seafarers. Meanwhile, Air India services to various Saudi cities remain suspended as of early November. New Delhi continues to call for the de-escalation of hostilities and the protection of maritime navigation routes.