13 Indians, 3 Sri Lankans missing after oil tanker capsizes off Oman coast

Representational Image. Pic/Pixabay

A Comorian-flagged oil tanker capsized off Oman on Monday, the country's maritime authority said.

Thirteen Indians are among the 16-member crew of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that went missing after it capsized off the coast of Oman, the country's maritime authority said.

The oil tanker capsized 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah in the Wilayat of Duqm, and a search and rescue operation was activated in coordination with the concerned authorities, Oman's Maritime Security Centre said in a post on X on Monday.

The crew of 'Prestige Falcon' included 13 Indians and 3 Sri Lankans, the centre said in a statement on Tuesday

"The crew of the ship are still missing," it said, noting that the search continued.

The Maritime Security Centre said in a post on X, "A Comoros-flagged oil tanker capsized 25 NM southeast of Ras Madrakah. SAR Ops initiated with the relevant authorities. #MaritimeSecurityCentre"

The tanker was heading to the Yemeni port of Aden, according to shipping data by LSEG.

The vessel is a 117-metre-long oil products tanker built in 2007, LSEG's shipping data showed. Such small tankers are generally deployed for short voyages.

Earlier, on November 27, a cargo ship carrying 14 crew members including Indian crew members, sank off the coast of Lesbos island in Greece due to high-speed winds. The Comoros-flagged ship Raptor, which was travelling from Dekheila, Egypt to Istanbul carrying a load of salt, sank 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) southwest of Lesbos.

In another incident, the police said that the bodies of two missing victims of a boat capsize in Assam's Goalpara district were found on July, taking the toll to five, reported PTI.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while visiting the accident site and meeting the bereaved family, announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each victim.

A small boat carrying about 20 people had sunk into flood waters at Simlitola in the Rongjuli police station area on July 11, leading to the death of five persons. Three bodies were recovered the same day, while the two others were found on July 12.

Sarma said the people were returning after cremating one Anjana Malakar when the accident happened.

"Five people have died in the accident and all were relatives of Anjana Malakar. The entire village is mourning the deaths. We also visited the bereaved family to pay our condolences," he said, reported PTI.

The CM said ex gratia will be paid by the government.

"We have learnt that there are ailing members in the bereaved family and they have also lost their source of income. We will see if we can further help them in the future," he added, reported PTI.

On the allegations of negligence, he said, "The cremation ground is surrounded by water. We will see the details later. Now, is not the time."

(With inputs from PTI)