New Delhi: Three Indian seafarers have died after a vessel was attacked by US forces off the coast of Oman, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed. The vessel, the Palau-flagged oil tanker Settebello, had a crew of 28 members, including 24 Indian nationals and four foreign nationals - two Pakistanis, one Ukrainian, and one Russian - when it came under US military attack in the Gulf of Oman.

The three deceased Indian sailors were identified as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and chief engineer Patnala Suresh. The US Central Command said it used precision munitions to strike the tanker for allegedly violating an ongoing US blockade on Iranian oil, adding that the "crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces."

India condemned the attack and summoned Washington's charge d'affaires in New Delhi to lodge a "strong protest." The Ministry of External Affairs said: "Attacks on shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and a direct result of the ongoing conflict. We reiterate our call for immediate de-escalation."

The Strait of Hormuz has been almost completely blocked since the start of the Middle East war in late February. While Iran has blockaded the shipping lane, the US has also enforced its own competing blockade since April. Earlier, Omani authorities airlifted 24 Indian sailors off the tanker as it burned off the coast of Oman, though the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

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