Blast reported at Riyadh airport as flights are disrupted

A blast was reported at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, prompting evacuations from parts of the facility and widespread flight disruption. The cause of the blast and responsibility for it had not been confirmed by Saudi authorities, and the Houthis had made no claim for Saturday’s incident in the reports available that day. Witnesses and people briefed on the incident described a loud explosion and said passengers were evacuated. Eyewitnesses reported seeing injured people, and ambulances were seen arriving at the airport. A hospital source told Agence France-Presse that dozens of people had been injured, with at least five treated in intensive care. Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed a casualty toll or damage at the airport. Two regional officials told The Associated Press that the airport had been attacked and air traffic stopped; one said the facility was evacuated. Those officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly. Their account, along with witness reports of a blast, did not establish what caused it or who was responsible.