A Filipino national was killed in an intercepted drone attack targeting a facility at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to a report by Reuters, citing the Saudi energy ministry.
Saudi air defenses intercepted the drone before it could hit the facility. However, falling debris killed two residents, one Filipino and one Nepali, and injured two others, a Pakistani and an Indian, the ministry said.
The incident also sparked a fire in a vehicle outside the facility’s perimeter but did not affect operations at the oilfield, the ministry added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are among the Philippine agencies concerned with the safety and welfare of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.
The incident comes amid escalating missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has responded with strikes on missile-launcher sites and said it has intercepted multiple ballistic missiles fired by the group.
On October 10, three Filipinos were injured in an attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 others were wounded in that incident.
The DMW said Tuesday that the medical conditions of the three injured Filipinos were improving.
Meanwhile, a total of 84 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia this week amid rising tensions between the kingdom and Houthi rebels.
The OWWA has also been arranging the repatriation of around 300 OFWs in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Migrant Workers Office in Saudi Arabia.
The DFA earlier reaffirmed the Philippines’ solidarity with Saudi Arabia in protecting its nationals and residents, including nearly one million Filipinos living and working in the kingdom.