Behind the casualties of the deadly attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport are two Sudanese families facing heartbreaking circumstances, with four children left without their father and 11 relatives anxiously awaiting news of their injured breadwinner.
Sudanese driver Mutasim Bashir was reportedly killed in the attacks, leaving behind four children who are still attending school and now face the prospect of growing up without their father’s care and financial support.
Meanwhile, Sudanese flight attendant Riham Yaseen, who was reportedly injured in the strikes, is responsible for supporting a family of 11 people whose livelihoods depend on her income.
The personal circumstances of the two victims were revealed by Al Arabiya journalist Ahmed Al-Qurashi, according to Sudanese media reports published on Monday.
The accounts have drawn attention to the families left struggling with the consequences of the violence, particularly those who depended on the victims to meet everyday expenses, provide food and cover their children’s education.
Earlier reports suggested that Yaseen had been admitted to intensive care following her injuries, prompting concern among colleagues and relatives.
However, no confirmed update has emerged about her condition, the severity of her injuries or whether she remains in hospital.
For Bashir’s four children, their father’s reported death represents more than the loss of a loved one. It also raises difficult questions about how the family will continue to support their education and meet its basic needs without him.
The tragedy comes amid a series of attacks on the Saudi capital’s international airport that have caused casualties, disrupted flights and heightened fears over the safety of civilians working at aviation facilities.
While attention has focused on the wider security implications of the strikes, the stories of Bashir and Yaseen reveal a quieter tragedy unfolding far from the airport itself.
For one Sudanese family, four children must now face life without their father. For another, 11 people are waiting anxiously for news of the woman on whom they depend.
