A drone strike has killed two Indian nationals and left at least 10 others injured in Sohar city of Oman on Friday. The fatalities are the first of Indian nationals in Oman amid the war between Iran and the United States-Israel, which began on Feb. 28, 2026.
The news has been confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs. Joint Secretary of the Ministry, Aseem Mahajan, was speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing on the crisis in West Asia.
"I wish to share with you an incident that happened in Sohar city today. There was an attack, and in this incident, two Indian nationals have died," he said, expressing "deepest condolences" to the families of the slain.
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He said that 11 people have been injured, 10 of them Indian nationals. "Five of the injured have been discharged after receiving treatment at the hospital, while others remain under observation," he said.
He, however, maintained that none of the injured had any serious injuries and was out of danger. "The local authorities are rendering all assistance," he said. Mahajan, though, did not provide any specific details of the drone attack that had left two Indian nationals dead.
Oman News Agency (ONA) has meanwhile reported that two drones crashed in Sohar, one of them hitting the Al Awhi Industrial Zones, "claiming the lives of two expatriate workers."
Earlier, three Indian sailors were killed in attacks on merchant vessels. Today's casualties have taken Indian fatalities of the Middle East war to five.
Mahajan, during the briefing, said that 1,50,000 Indian nationals have returned to India from the Middle East since the war began, with the government ramping up diplomatic efforts to ensure the safe return of Indian nationals living in the region.
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As a part of the efforts, Mahajan said, 15 Indian crew members of the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu have been safely evacuated to a hotel in Basra city. The tanker had come under attack near Basra in Iraq on Wednesday.
Mahajan maintained that efforts were being made to bring the Indian nationals in Basra to India safely.
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