By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani national was killed Thursday when debris from the interception of a ballistic missile struck Sweihan Street in Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Media Office said, marking the fourth death of a Pakistani citizen in the United Arab Emirates from such incidents since the United States and Israel began military operations against Iran.
The office initially reported the incident in a post on X as involving “falling debris” from a missile interception that killed two unidentified individuals, injured three others and damaged a number of cars. In a follow-up statement, it identified the dead as one Pakistani and one Indian national. The three injured — who sustained injuries ranging from serious to moderate — were Emirati, Jordanian and Indian nationals, it said. “The public is advised to obtain information only from official sources and to avoid spreading rumours or unverified information,” the media office added.
The latest fatality brings to four the number of Pakistani nationals killed in the UAE by falling debris from missile interceptions amid the ongoing conflict. On Feb. 28 — the day US and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran — a Pakistani national identified as Mureed Zaman died in Abu Dhabi from similar debris. A Pakistani driver was killed on March 8 when debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in Dubai’s Al Barsha area. And on March 17, another Pakistani national was killed by falling debris following the interception of a ballistic missile elsewhere in the UAE.
The Pakistan Embassy in the UAE expressed grief over the latest death in a statement posted on X. “In this difficult time, we stand with the bereaved family, offering our heartfelt condolences and prayers,” it said. Embassy officials said they were in “close coordination” with local authorities “to extend all possible support and to facilitate the earliest repatriation of the deceased.”
The incidents underscore the unintended civilian toll that the widening conflict has taken in the Gulf, even as authorities in the UAE have sought to reassure residents and limit speculation about the precise origins of the debris. Officials have repeatedly emphasised that the falling fragments result from successful interceptions of incoming missiles rather than direct strikes on Emirati territory.
No further details about the victims’ identities or the precise circumstances of Thursday’s incident were immediately released. The Abu Dhabi Media Office did not say whether the missile was aimed at the UAE or had been intercepted en route to another target. Pakistani officials have not issued a broader statement on the pattern of casualties among their nationals, who form a significant part of the UAE’s large expatriate workforce. The embassy’s response has focused on immediate consular support for the affected families.
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