Two Indian nationals were killed in a drone strike in an industrial area in Oman on Friday, officials said, marking the first Indian fatalities on land in a West Asian country since the start of the Iran-US conflict on February 28.
Ten Indians were also injured in the drone strike on Al Awahi Industrial Area in Sohar city, located about 200 km from the capital Muscat, and all of them were reported to be out of danger. More than three dozen Indians have been injured so far in drone and missile strikes in several West Asian countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Track updates on Middle East conflict
Two Indian nationals died in “an attack” in Sohar city, Aseem Mahajan, joint secretary (Gulf) in the external affairs ministry, said at an inter-ministerial briefing on the situation in West Asia.
“We express our deepest condolences to their families. Of the 11 injured [in the attack], 10 are Indians. Five have been discharged after receiving treatment, and five others are still admitted in local hospitals,” Mahajan said.
“None of them is reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the concerned company and local authorities and is rendering all assistance.”
{{/usCountry}}“None of them is reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the concerned company and local authorities and is rendering all assistance.”
{{/usCountry}}The Oman News Agency (ONA) cited a security source as saying that two unmanned aerial vehicles crashed in Sohar, and one of the drones struck Al Awahi Industrial Zone, resulting in the death of two expatriate workers.
Since the start of the Iran-US conflict, three Indian sailors have been killed in attacks on merchant vessels and tankers and one more has been reported missing. There had been no reports of fatalities on land so far.
The Indian government has focused on the safety and security of 10 million Indian nationals living in West Asian countries during its outreach to the leadership of these states in recent days.
Mahajan added that 15 Indian crew members of the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, which was attacked near Basra city of Iraq on Wednesday, had been safely evacuated to a hotel in the city.
An Indian crew member was killed in the attack on Safesea Vishnu, and Mahajan said efforts were underway to transport his body back to the country. Efforts are also being made for the safe repatriation of the 15 rescued seafarers. “Our mission team is in Basra and is rendering all assistance,” he said.
Mahajan also told the briefing that 150,000 Indian nationals had returned from West Asia since February 28. This included 2,900 Indians who returned from Qatar in Qatar Airways flights over the past few days, and 1,000 Indians who returned from Bahrain. He said regular non-scheduled commercial flights were operating from several airports in the UAE, and Air India Express and Indigo had started flights from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.