In the latest development, the Indian Navy warship INS Teg on Wednesday rescued eight Indians who went missing after an oil tanker capsized off the coast of Oman on July 15. INS Teg also rescued a Sri Lankan national during its search and rescue missions. The oil vessel had a total of 16 crew members out of which 13 were Indian.
The defence officials said that a rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Omani agencies is currently underway in the area. Earlier on July 15, the Indian Navy dispatched INS Teg along with maritime surveillance aircraft P-8I to participate in the rescue mission along with the Omani vessels and personnel. According to sources, the Indian warship was carrying out an operational turnaround in the area before it was directed to carry out search and rescue missions. The warship had located the capsizing oil tanker on July 16 morning, they added.
Rescue mission continues in challenging weather
Sharing details of the mission, the Indian Navy took to social media platform X and said it deployed the warship INS Teg to provide SAR assistance for the capsized Oil Tanker MV Prestige Falcon. The Indian Navy further added that the Prestige Falcon had capsized about 25 Nautical Miles southeast of Oman's Ras Madrakah. As the rescue mission is underway, extreme weather is posing a challenge to the operation. According to the Indian Navy, the area is experiencing rough sea & strong winds.
Notably, the Comoros-flagged oil vessel capsized off Oman's major industrial port of Duqm. A day later, the Maritime Security Centre (MSC) confirmed the accident and stated that there was a crew of 16 members onboard which included 13 Indians.
ALSO READ | INS Teg, maritime aircraft P-8I, deployed near Oman to locate missing oil tanker with 13 Indians aboard
