West Asia conflict kills two more Indians in Oman drone strike, toll goes up to five

New Delhi: The number of Indian citizens being killed in the latest round of conflicts in West Asia went up to five, with two more lives being snuffed out in a drone strike in Oman, one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which Iran targeted in response to attacks by Israel and the United States since February 28.

Three more Indians – all mariners – were killed earlier in attacks on merchant vessels passing through the Persian Gulf. Nearly 1,50,000 Indians have returned from West Asia after the attacks by Israel and the US on Iran, and Iran’s counterattacks on Israel and the US bases in the region triggered the conflict, which has been escalating over the past two weeks.

The drone strikes at Sohar in Oman not only killed two workers from India but also injured 10 others, Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, told journalists in New Delhi on Friday.

The slain Indians were among the expatriate workers at Al Awhi Industrial Zone at Sohar in Oman. “We express our deepest condolences to their families. Of the 11 injured (in the attack), 10 are Indians. Out of them, five have been discharged after receiving treatment, and five others are receiving treatment in local hospitals,” said Mahajan, adding, “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.”

The deaths of two Indians at Sohar in Oman were the first on land.

A US-owned crude oil tanker, Safesea Vishnu, which was sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, came under attack in the Persian Gulf off Basra in Iraq late on Wednesday, resulting in the death of one of the 16 Indian mariners on the ship. The remaining 15 Indian members of the crew have since been evacuated to a hotel in Basra, and efforts are on to repatriate them to India.

The Embassy of India in Baghdad is in regular contact with the authorities in Iraq and has extended all possible assistance to the rescued Indians, the Ministry of External Affairs stated in New Delhi.

Two Indian mariners had been killed in attacks on two other merchant vessels – Skylight and MKD Vyom – in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month.

Over 9.5 million Indians live and work in West Asia, mostly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Nearly 150,000 Indian nationals returned from the region since the conflict started, said Mahajan.

Around 2,900 Indians returned from Qatar in Qatar Airways flights over the past few days, and 1,000 Indians returned from Bahrain. One hundred and seventeen Indian nationals have crossed over to Armenia from Iran through land border crossings, and several of them have returned to India already, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi on Friday.