DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇳 India /Conflict & Security

‘No fire’: Audio surfaces from Indian-crewed vessel near Oman after India refutes reports of US attack

From Hindustan Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • India's Ministry of External Affairs dismissed reports of an attack on the Indian-crewed vessel Liaki Freedom near Oman as "baseless."
  • Audio from the ship confirms no fire broke out and the vessel was not attacked, according to the ship's master.
  • This incident follows recent attacks on three ships with Indian crew members in the Gulf, which resulted in three seafarers' deaths.

India's Ministry of External Affairs has strongly refuted reports alleging an attack on the Indian-crewed vessel Liaki Freedom near the coast of Oman, labeling the claims as "baseless."

All okay, all okay.

— Vessel MasterConfirming the safety of the crew and vessel in an audio recording.

In a clarification issued on Saturday, the ministry stated that officials had contacted the vessel's master, who confirmed that all crew members on board were safe and that no fire had occurred. This statement directly contradicts earlier reports suggesting the ship had been targeted.

Adding to the confirmation, an audio clip surfaced online, reportedly from the Liaki Freedom. In the recording, the vessel's master can be heard confirming, "All okay, all okay." When specifically asked about a fire, the master explicitly stated, "Negative, no fire."

Negative, no fire.

— Vessel MasterResponding to a question about reports of a fire on board the Liaki Freedom.

The incident occurs in the wake of recent attacks on merchant ships carrying Indian crew members in the Gulf. Notably, three Indian seafarers lost their lives in an attack on the Palau-flagged MT Settebello by a US jet on Wednesday. India has lodged strong protests with the US over these attacks, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar conveying India's strong protest to the US Secretary of State and summoning the senior US diplomat in New Delhi.

baseless

— India's Ministry of External AffairsDescribing the reports of an attack on the Liaki Freedom.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog