# Dammam airport and Shaybah attacks: 3 dead, Pakistani worker among injured as US orders staff out of Saudi Arabia Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/world/dammam-airport-attack-kills-one-injures-eight-as-us-orders-staff-out-of-saudi) Type: News article Author: Searchable Editorial Published: 22 Oct 2026 Updated: 22 Oct 2026 Retrieved: 25 Oct 2026 > One killed at King Fahd airport and two at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield, where a Pakistani was hurt. Riyadh's airport is still shut. What Pakistani workers and travellers need to check. **Update, 22 October, 12:45 pm PKT:** The death toll from Wednesday's two attacks in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province has risen to **three**, and **a Pakistani worker is among the injured**. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said two expatriates, **one Filipino and one Nepali**, were killed and two others, **a Pakistani and an Indian**, were injured when an intercepted drone set fire to a contractor's vehicle outside a Saudi Aramco processing facility at the **Shaybah oilfield**, ARY News reported, citing the Saudi Gazette. The ministry said operations were not affected. At **King Fahd International Airport in Dammam**, GACA's count remains one expatriate dead and eight injured, with material damage still being assessed. The Saudi-led coalition's spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, said four drones were intercepted and destroyed over the Eastern Province. The name of the injured Pakistani has not been released. Families who cannot reach a relative working at Shaybah or in Dammam can contact the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate General in Jeddah. One person was killed and eight were injured in an attack on **King Fahd International Airport in Dammam**, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Wednesday night, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. The wounded, with injuries from minor to critical, were taken to hospital. On the same day the **US State Department ordered non-emergency staff and their families to leave its mission in Saudi Arabia**, citing attacks by Yemen's Houthis on civilian airports and infrastructure. For Pakistani families with someone working in Riyadh or the kingdom's Eastern Province, the practical question is flights. Here is what is known. ## What happened on Wednesday - **Dammam airport attack:** one dead, eight injured, according to GACA's statement. The authority has not yet said what struck the airport. - **Shaybah oilfield:** two expatriates (a Filipino and a Nepali) were killed and a Pakistani and an Indian injured when Saudi air defences intercepted a drone heading for a Saudi Aramco facility at Shaybah, the Ministry of Energy said. - **Riyadh airport:** this is the third deadly strike on a Saudi airport this month. A strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on 10 October killed 12 people and injured more than 300, and another on 11 October killed one and injured 11, according to the Saudi civil aviation authority. ## The US order and its travel warning State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Houthis have "increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia", including attacks on civilian airports. Four US officials told Reuters that US missions in other Gulf states would also send family members home. The US embassy's security alert of 21 October keeps Saudi Arabia at **Level 3, "Reconsider travel"**, and says: - Operations at **King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, remain suspended**. - **King Abdulaziz (Jeddah) and King Fahd (Dammam)** airports are operating, with some delays and cancellations. The alert was issued before the Dammam attack. - Land border crossings, including the **King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain**, and main roads around Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran remain open. - People should not film or share images of drone or missile interceptions or impact sites, since doing so can lead to detention. ## What it means for travellers from Pakistan - **Check your flight with the airline before leaving home.** Riyadh-bound passengers in particular should confirm whether their flight is diverted to another city. - Workers on iqama in the Eastern Province should follow Saudi Civil Defence alerts on their phones and their employer's instructions. - **Umrah travel** goes through Jeddah and Madinah, which were not named among the suspended airports in the US alert, but delays are possible across the network. - Remittances are unaffected so far. Check today's [Saudi riyal rate in Pakistan](/data/sar-pkr) or convert an amount with our [currency converter](/tools/finance/currency-converter). ## Why it is happening The Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia follow an escalation of fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, a front opened by the wider regional conflict that began with the US-Israeli war on Iran in late February. Earlier this week Saudi Arabia postponed its FII investment conference to 2027, and the UK said RAF Typhoon jets would fly over Saudi cities to help defend them. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Riyadh airport open?** No. The US embassy's alert of 21 October says operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remain suspended. Jeddah and Dammam airports were operating with some delays. **Was any Pakistani hurt in the Dammam and Shaybah attacks?** Yes. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said a Pakistani and an Indian worker were injured in the drone incident at the Shaybah oilfield on 21 October 2026. Two others, a Filipino and a Nepali, were killed. ## Sources - One killed, eight injured in attack on Saudi Arabia's King Fahd airport (Al Jazeera and Reuters): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/22/one-killed-eight-injured-in-attack-on-saudi-arabias-king-fahd-airport-2 - US orders departure of personnel from Saudi Arabia, citing Houthi threat (Al Jazeera): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/21/us-orders-departure-of-personnel-from-saudi-arabia-citing-houthi-threat - Security Alert: U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia, October 21, 2026 (US Embassy Riyadh): https://sa.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-mission-to-saudi-arabia-october-21-2026/ - EXCLUSIVE: US orders diplomats to depart Saudi Arabia amid Houthi strikes (Reuters): https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-preparing-issue-ordered-departure-some-personnel-gulf-embassies-us-officials-2026-10-21/ - Three killed, 10 injured including Pakistani in attacks on Dammam airport, Saudi Aramco facility (ARY News): https://arynews.tv/three-killed-10-injured-including-pakistani-in-attacks-on-dammam-airport-saudi-aramco-facility How to cite: "Dammam airport and Shaybah attacks: 3 dead, Pakistani worker among injured as US orders staff out of Saudi Arabia", Searchable, 22 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/world/dammam-airport-attack-kills-one-injures-eight-as-us-orders-staff-out-of-saudi