India evacuates 30 seafarers from Gulf amid rising tensions
With tensions running high in the Gulf, India managed to bring back 30 seafarers from the region within just 24 hours.
The government says it's keeping a close eye on about 23,000 Indian crew members still working on ships there.
Status of Indian vessels, crew
Even as things heat up, 28 Indian-flagged vessels are in the Strait of Hormuz area; 24 are west of the strait (in the Persian Gulf) and four are east (in the Gulf of Oman): most are west of the Strait of Hormuz with over 600 crew on board.
Two LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, safely crossed the chokepoint and were en route to India, expected to reach Mundra on March 16 and Kandla on March 17, respectively.
Casualties among Indian seafarers
Iran arranged a chartered flight from Kochi for stranded Iranian nationals; the number of evacuees was not specified.
But not everyone has been so lucky: among Indian seafarers, four were injured and have been treated and discharged, three lost their lives, and one is still missing, a reminder of how risky things have gotten for those at sea.