Indian national dies in Saudi Arabia, embassy offers support to family; MEA says 6 deaths so far

New Delhi: The latest development on March 18 resulted in the death of an Indian national in Riyadh, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed in an official statement.The mission confirmed it was in contact with the family of the deceased and local authorities and was providing all necessary assistance. It also expressed condolences and said it was coordinating closely with Saudi officials on the matter.

“The Embassy of India expresses its deepest condolences over the recent incident on March 18 which resulted in the tragic death of an Indian national in Riyadh.”“The embassy is in contact with the family and local authorities. We remain committed to providing all possible assistance in this matter,” it added. The update comes as concerns remain among Indian nationals in the region as Iran continues to launch missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbors following Israeli and US attacks on Tehran, with the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia closely monitoring the situation and providing consular assistance as needed.Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said that a total of six Indian nationals were killed and one missing in various incidents in the Gulf during the conflict in West Asia.The Indian mission is coordinating with local authorities for assistance and repatriation, the MEA said. Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary, MEA (Gulf), told an inter-ministerial briefing that Indian missions in various countries work closely with authorities to locate missing persons and facilitate the return of deceased persons to India.“It is unfortunate that six Indian nationals lost their lives and one of them went missing in various incidents. Our missions in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and the UAE are in regular contact with the relevant authorities on the issue of missing Indian nationals and are seeking early repatriation of the mortal remains of the late Indian nationals to India,” Mahajan said.A Middle East and Africa official said travel conditions in the Gulf region are gradually improving and a large number of passengers have returned to India.“The situation continues to improve with an increase in flights in the region. Around 300,000 passengers have returned to India from the region since February 28,” an MEA official said.Airlines in the United Arab Emirates will continue to operate limited non-scheduled flights due to operational and safety concerns, according to the Middle East Environment Agency.“Based on operational and safety considerations, airlines will continue to operate limited non-scheduled flights. Today, around 90 flights are expected to fly to India from various airports in the UAE,” he added.