Muscat: The US Navy reportedly helped in the rescue of 14 Indians from a dhow that was sinking near the coast of Oman on Sunday.
The Indian Navy and a merchant vessel in the vicinity also participated in the rescue operations.
The US Navy apparently alerted shore authorities and the Indian Navy after receiving information that the dhow was in distress approximately 80 nautical miles east of Ras Al Hadd, Oman, on Sunday morning, sources in the government told CNN-News18
It has come to be known that a US Navy P-8 long-range maritime patrol aircraft responded to the emergency by dropping a life raft near the vessel and monitoring the evacuation of those on board.
Everybody on the dhow shifted to the life raft after the vessel started sinking, it was reported. The MV Jabal Ali 9, a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged ship, travelling from Sohar to Mumbai was also guided to the location by the US Navy.
The cargo ship, operating in the vicinity of the incident, was requested by the P-8 aircraft to proceed towards the distressed dhow and render assistance, officials said.
All 14 individuals on oard the dhow are Indian nationals, officials confirmed. While their condition was not immediately known, authorities were closely monitoring the rescue operation. The cause of the dhow’s sinking was not immediately known.
The incident occurred in waters off Oman’s eastern coast, an area that has assumed greater strategic significance in recent months because of ongoing tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, as reported by News18.
Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains below pre-conflict levels despite signs of a possible diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran, Reuters reported.
Fresh military activity near the waterway, including the interception of drones heading towards the Strait of Hormuz, was reported by the news agency, underscoring the fragile security environment in the region.
