Arab News | After Riyadh airport attack, residents turn to action through blood donations

RIYADH: Residents in the Saudi capital have donated blood following Saturday’s attack on King Khalid International Airport, which left 12 people dead and more than 300 injured, including several who were in a critical condition.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation said that the attack on Oct. 10 killed four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals, while the injured were receiving medical care at hospitals across the city.

Among those responding to the news were Yara Al-Olayan and Asma Al-Harithi, who visited Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital in Riyadh’s Al-Takhassusi district to donate blood.

For Al-Olayan, the decision came after following reports of the injuries and wanting to offer practical help.

“I was following the news and seeing the number of people injured, and I felt I needed to do something. Donating blood seemed like the least I could do. I just hope everyone who was hurt makes a full recovery,” she told Arab News.

Al-Harithi, a regular blood donor, said the incident reinforced the importance of maintaining blood supplies beyond times of emergency.

“I donate blood regularly, but seeing what happened in Riyadh reminded me why it’s so important. You never know when someone might need blood, and I think we should be donating even when there isn’t an emergency,” she said.

Their donations came during Saudi Arabia’s annual national blood donation campaign, launched on Oct. 6 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who donated blood to mark the start of the initiative.

The latest attack on King Khalid International Airport followed two earlier strikes on Oct. 8 that killed three Saudi citizens and injured several others, according to the aviation authority.

For donors such as Al-Olayan and Al-Harithi, the latest casualties have brought renewed attention to the role ordinary residents can play in supporting the healthcare system, and to the need for blood donations long after the immediate emergency has passed.