Three Indian sailors with ties to the UK are missing after a suspected attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The alert came early this morning following an explosion aboard the MV Asphalt, a vessel registered in the Marshall Islands but operated by a British-based shipping company. The missing men are part of a crew of 22, all Indian nationals.
The attack, which caused a fire and forced an emergency evacuation, has been condemned by the Foreign Office as a 'reckless escalation' in regional tensions. Families of the missing have been contacted. The incident follows weeks of increased military posturing in the strategic waterway.
Local coast guard units are coordinating search efforts. The shipping company has declined to comment on the fate of the vessel. The attack is the latest in a series of hostile actions targeting commercial shipping, raising fears for the safety of seafarers and the stability of global trade routes.
