Attack on Indian-flagged cargo ship near Oman, one crew member killed

An Indian-flagged cargo ship was attacked near the Omani coast. One Indian crew member was killed in the attack, while 13 others on board were rescued. Union Minister for Shipping Sarbanand Sonwal said that 14 Indian crew members were on board and the ship was targeted near the Omani coast on Tuesday. According to the minister, the ship has been identified as MSV Al Jousfi. The ship was passing near the Omani coast when it was attacked by an unidentified aerial object. After the attack, 13 people on board were safely evacuated. The Omani Coast Guard rescued them. However, one crew member sustained severe injuries and died.

The deceased crew member has been identified as Gandhar Nahim Aziz, a resident of Gujarat. Union Minister Sonwal expressed condolences on the death of the crew member on the social media platform 'X' and offered condolences to his family. The Union Minister said that the ministry and the Indian Embassy in Oman are in contact with local authorities. Arrangements are being made to provide immediate assistance to the 13 surviving crew members and to bring all safe crew members and the body of the deceased crew member to India as soon as possible.

It is noteworthy that despite the war between the US and Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, incidents targeting Indian-flagged ships have remained rare so far. However, the ongoing tensions on key maritime routes around the Gulf region have had a significant impact on Indian crew members. According to data released by the government last week, at least 22 Indian citizens have died since the US and Israel began attacks on Iran in February this year. Of these, 14 were crew members working on maritime vessels.