Indian sailor killed as two torpedoes hit merchant ship off Oman

An Indian sailor lost his life when a merchant ship was fired upon by two torpedoes off the coast of Oman, according to reports. The vessel, the MV Cape Dao, was sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda and carried 28 crew members. The attack caused a fire in the engine room and resulted in one death, reported the Oman Maritime Security Centre.

A rescue operation was swiftly carried out by an Omani warship, saving 27 crew members and providing medical treatment to the survivors. The incident occurred 4.6km off Musandam, an Omani territory adjacent to the UAE. The Indian embassy in Muscat expressed deep sorrow over the loss of one of its citizens and noted that 19 of the crew were Indian.

The Forward Seamen's Union of India identified the victim as Suraj Yadav, a sailor from Uttar Pradesh. The union condemned the attack and called for protection of Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, citing a series of fatalities since the Iran war began in February.