2 SA men hurt in Riyadh blasts

2003-05-14 13:36

Pretoria - Two South Africans were slightly injured in this week's suicide car bombings in Saudi Arabia, said the South African embassy in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Ambassador Abdulhamied Gabier said the two men lived in one of the foreign housing compounds that were attacked.

"One was injured in the hand and the second in the thigh. They are okay and fit to travel home," said Gabier from Riyadh.

He said the pair would leave for South Africa on Wednesday evening.

Monday night's bombing attacks on three compounds housing foreigners killed at least 29 people and wounded more than 194. Nine suicide bombers were among the dead, said Saudi officials.

Gabier declined to give the names of the two injured South Africans.

"They have gone through a devastating experience, and are entitled to have a trouble-free trip to, and arrival in, South Africa."

Beeld newspaper earlier reported a Gerrit Olivier was one of the injured. He reportedly lived with his wife in one of the compounds.

She was quoted as saying that she was awoken by a loud bang, and saw her husband lying on the floor.

Loud explosion during dinner

Gabier said there apparently also were automatic rifle attacks on the compounds after the explosions.

"There are fears the death toll could turn out to be much higher than initial indications," said Gabier.

Embassy first secretary Danie Jacobs said he was having dinner about a kilometre away from the attack on Monday night.

"While we were eating, there was this loud explosion. Everything rattled. We rushed outside and saw a big cloud of smoke," Jacobs said.

"It was quite clear this was a bomb and there were a lot of casualties."

Jacobs said the compounds were similar to the security villages found in South Africa. Embassy staff lived in a similar complex about six kilometres away from Monday's explosions.

He said security in Riyadh had been beefed up and was tougher than at the start of the recent war in Iraq.

"The situation is very tense, and one is scared. But you just have to be vigilant," he said.

"We move only between home and work. This is not a good time for shopping trips."

The embassy was operating as usual, and there were no plans to send family members home for safety reasons.

"We are South Africans. We know how to take care of ourselves," said Jacobs.

- SAPA