THREE INDIAN nationals are believed to have lost their lives in two separate incidents during the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, owing to attacks by the Iranian side on merchant shipping vessels off the Oman coast.
An Indian national, identified as Amrit Lal Solanki, was killed on Monday when an explosive-laden drone boat struck an oil tanker off the coast of Muscat Governorate, while one person from Bihar and another from Rajasthan are learnt to have perished in the attack on MV Skylight a day earlier, according to sources.
In a statement, Oman’s Ministry of Defence said that the Maritime Security Centre reported that the oil tanker MKD Vyom was hit by an unmanned boat 52 nautical miles off the coast of Muscat Governorate. It said that the attack resulted in a fire and explosion in the engine room and the death of one crew member. The remaining 21 crew members were evacuated.
The Embassy of India in Oman expressed its “deepest condolences” on the demise of the Indian crew member on board MKD Vyom. The tanker, flagged to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was carrying an estimated 59,463 metric tons of cargo.
The mission said it is working in close coordination with local authorities in Oman to facilitate the safe and early repatriation of Indian nationals on board the vessel. “We remain committed to extending all possible assistance in this matter,” it said.
A day earlier, another oil tanker came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack on the MV Skylight injured four crew members. The state-run Oman News Agency said the crew were from India and Iran. The Indian mission in Oman on Monday said it was in constant touch with local authorities who are carrying out search operations for missing crew members following the incident involving MV Skylight.
It is learnt that the two missing crew members — Ashish Kumar from Bihar and Daleep Singh from Rajasthan — are said to be presumed dead, more than 48 hours into the search operation.
On Tuesday, in a statement expressing concern over the situation in West Asia, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days.”
“In this background, India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy. We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict. Already, many lives have been regrettably lost and we express our grief in that regard.”
