West Asia war: Closely monitoring incident involving vessel off Oman coast, says India

In a post on X, the Indian mission said that it is in close touch with the local authorities. Representational Pic/File/X

The Indian Embassy in Muscat on Wednesday said it has learnt of an incident involving a vessel off the coast of Oman and is "closely monitoring" the situation, amid reports of an attack on a tanker near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, the Indian mission also said that it is in close touch with the local authorities on the issue, without disclosing any details.

"We have learnt of an incident involving a vessel off the coast of Oman. We are closely monitoring the situation and in close touch with the local authorities. We shall update soon," it said.

Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it has received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar in Oman, which lies near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

"Local authorities have reported a tanker has experienced a fire in their engine room and are on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the crew," it said.

The vessel reported one casualty while two crew members are missing, it said, adding that no environmental impact was reported.

The development comes a day after the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said that 24 Indian crew members of a Palau-flagged merchant tanker were rescued in coordination with Omani authorities, following a "missile attack" on the vessel off the coast of Oman.

Tensions have heightened in the Gulf region, with the US launching airstrikes against Iran, which retaliated by firing missiles at Gulf countries.

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