Indian sailor missing after drone strike on oil tanker near Oman's Sohar port

On Oct 11 a drone struck the Nicaragua-flagged oil tanker MT Petro Dolphin as it approached Sohar port in Oman, endangering the 11 Indian crew aboard. Nine of the sailors were rescued and are safe, but Veer Bahadur Yadav, a 26-year-old from Badka Gaon in Deoria district, and one other crew member remain missing. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the local Coast Guard is conducting active search and rescue operations and that the government is in constant contact with relevant authorities.

The Indian Embassy in Muscat is closely following the incident and maintaining communication with Omani officials. The Ministry of External Affairs also expressed its concern over attacks on commercial vessels in the region, emphasizing the safety of Indian seafarers as a priority. Yadav, the sole breadwinner for his family after his father's death, had gone abroad for work five months earlier, heightening the family's anxiety.