MUSCAT: 13 Indians were aboard a Comorian-flagged oil tanker that capsized off the coast of Oman, approximately 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah in the Wilayat of Duqm on Monday. Search operations are underway, though concerns are mounting that the tanker has sunk.

Sultanate’s Maritime Security Centre (MSC) confirmed that searches are under way for its missing crew of 16. The MSC, which is run by the Omani defence ministry, did not specify the cause of the capsize.

The vessel, a 117-meter-long oil products tanker built in 2007, was heading to the Yemeni port of Aden when it capsized near the Omani port of Duqm. Reports indicate the vessel remains submerged and inverted. The fate of the crew, including the possibility of survivors, and the status of the oil cargo aboard are yet to be determined.

Omani authorities have initiated a search and rescue operation in collaboration with maritime officials.

Duqm port, located on Oman’s southwest coast, is in close proximity to the country’s significant oil and gas extraction facilities, including a major refinery situated within Duqm’s industrial zone, which is Oman’s largest economic project.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Oman reported that an Indian was killed and another injured in a shooting near a Shiite mosque in Muscat on Monday. The attack, occurring during the annual period of mourning known as Ashura for Shiite Muslims, resulted in the deaths of nine people, including three attackers, with around 28 others injured, including security personnel.