Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 others injured in a drone strike in an industrial area in Oman’s Sohar province Friday, taking the total number of Indian deaths in the ongoing war in West Asia to five. Oman News Agency reported that two drones crashed in Sohar, one striking the Al-Awahi industrial area, resulting in the deaths of two expatriates and several injuries, and the other crashing in an open area, causing no damage. Joint secretary (Gulf) in the foreign ministry, Aseem Mahajan, confirmed the killings. “We express our deepest condolences… Of the 11 injured, 10 are Indians. Five have been discharged and the others are receiving treatment in local hospitals,” he said.‘1.5L Indians have returned from West Asia’Since the conflict began, 1,50,000 Indian nationals have returned from West Asia, joint secretary (Gulf) in external affairs ministry, Aseem Mahajan, said. “None of them is reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the company concerned and local authorities and is rendering all assistance,” he said. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 117 Indian nationals have crossed over to Armenia from Iran through land border crossings and several of them have returned to India already. “We told all sides to adopt the path of diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the conflict as soon as possible,” he said.
