India on Friday confirmed the death of six of its nationals in a blast at a ceramic factory in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, and said 11 Indians were still listed as “missing or unidentified”.
Indian authorities had earlier said 18 Indians were feared to be among 23 people killed when a gas tanker exploded at the factory on Tuesday evening.
“According to our information, there were 58 Indian workers in the factory. The latest updates we have is that six Indian workers have died,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
“We also know that 33 Indians are safe, eight are in hospital and 11 people are yet to be identified. So we can say 11 people are missing or unidentified.”
Eyewitnesses in the Sudanese capital had said the LPG tanker exploded while a shipment was being unloaded at Seela Ceramics Factory in Bahri area of Khartoum. More than 130 people were injured in the incident.
The families of the six dead workers have been contacted and the Indian embassy in Khartoum is working closely with the Sudanese government to repatriate the bodies as quickly as possible, Kumar said.
{{/usCountry}}The families of the six dead workers have been contacted and the Indian embassy in Khartoum is working closely with the Sudanese government to repatriate the bodies as quickly as possible, Kumar said.
{{/usCountry}}The spokesperson also said India is working closely with Nigerian authorities to trace 18 Indian crew members kidnapped from the merchant vessel MT Nave Constellation off the coast of the African nation. He declined to give details.