Amidst the ongoing tension in West Asia, a ship heading towards Kandla port in Gujarat has been attacked. The Government of India has strongly condemned this incident and said that under no circumstances should merchant ships and civilian lives be targeted. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday said that the targeting of merchant ships during the ongoing conflict in West Asia is extremely unfortunate. The ministry also said that many people, including Indian citizens, have lost their lives in such attacks in the past and now the seriousness of these attacks seems to be increasing.
Also read – Tamil Nadu: ‘No need to panic or pay attention to rumours’, Prime Minister Modi said on West Asia conflict
Attack on Thai flagged cargo ship
The name of the ship which was attacked is Mayuri Nare. It is a Thailand flagged cargo ship which was heading towards Kandla Port in Gujarat. The ship had departed from Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates and was passing through the Strait of Hormuz when it was attacked by two unidentified projectiles (missile-like weapons). Following the attack, a fire broke out in the ship’s engine room and caused heavy damage.
Three crew members of the ship missing after the attack
According to the ship’s operating company Precious Shipping, three crew members are missing in the incident and it is feared that they may be trapped in the engine room. 20 other crew members were safely rescued from the sea as they had to abandon the ship and jump into the water. Later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a statement saying that they had attacked the ship. They say that they targeted this ship in the Strait of Hormuz with their projectiles.
The cargo ship has a capacity of 30 thousand tons.
According to the Thai Navy, heavy smoke was seen coming from the ship after the attack. At present, the search for the missing crew members is going on and the reasons for the attack are being investigated. This ship is a cargo ship of about 178 meters long and capacity of about 30 thousand tons. India has expressed concern over this incident and said that attacks on merchant ships should be stopped and the safety of civilians should be the first priority.
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