Two Indian nationals were killed in a drone strike in an industrial area of Oman on Friday, officials said. The incident marks the first deaths of Indian citizens on land in a West Asian country since the start of the Iran–US conflict on February 28.
Ten other Indians were injured in the drone strike at the Al Awahi Industrial Area in Sohar, located around 200 km from the capital Muscat. All the injured were reported to be out of danger. Overall, more than three dozen Indians have been hurt in recent drone and missile attacks across several West Asian countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
According to Aseem Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, two Indian nationals died in the attack in Sohar. Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing on the situation in West Asia, Mahajan expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“Of the 11 injured in the attack, 10 are Indians. Five have already been discharged after treatment, while the remaining five are still admitted to local hospitals. None of them is reported to have serious injuries,” Mahajan said. He added that the Indian mission in Oman is in constant contact with the concerned company and local authorities to provide assistance.
The Oman News Agency reported that two unmanned aerial vehicles crashed in Sohar, with one drone hitting the Al Awahi Industrial Zone and killing two expatriate workers.
Since the beginning of the Iran–US conflict, three Indian sailors have died in attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers, while another has been reported missing. However, until this incident, there had been no confirmed fatalities of Indians on land.
The Indian government has been closely monitoring the safety of nearly 10 million Indian nationals living across West Asian countries as tensions escalate in the region.
Mahajan also confirmed that 15 Indian crew members from the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, which was attacked near Basra earlier this week, have been safely evacuated to a hotel in the city. One Indian crew member was killed in that attack, and efforts are underway to repatriate his body to India. Arrangements are also being made for the safe return of the rescued seafarers.
According to the ministry, around 150,000 Indian nationals have returned from West Asia since February 28. This includes about 2,900 Indians who recently returned from Qatar on flights operated by Qatar Airways, as well as nearly 1,000 people who came back from Bahrain.
Mahajan added that special commercial flights are currently operating from several airports in the UAE, while Air India Express and IndiGo have also started operating flights from Riyadh to facilitate the return of Indian nationals.
