Centre verifying cause of fire that capsized vessel near Hormuz, killing Dwarka sailor
A Dwarka sailor died, and 4 others sustained burn injuries in the incident.
An Emirati patrol boat, left, is near a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from a coastal road near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo) The cargo vessel on which a sailor from Devbhumi Dwarka died Friday had capsized after a fire near the Strait of Hormuz, a source in the Union Government confirmed to The Indian Express Saturday. The source said that four other Indians sustained burn injuries and the government was ascertaining the “exact cause of fire”.
Altaf Talab Ker, who belongs to Jam Salaya town in Dwarka, was killed aboard the vessel Al Faize Noor Suleimani that had set out for Yemen from Dubai on Wednesday with 18 sailors on board. A passing vessel rescued the survivors, who have now been granted consular access, sources said.
“A wooden dhow, carrying general cargo, with 18 Indian crew members, capsized yesterday (Friday) close to the Strait of Hormuz after it caught fire. The exact cause of the fire is being ascertained. The crew members were rescued by a passing vessel. One Indian crew member died and four were injured,” the source told this paper on Saturday.
“The injured are receiving medical treatment in Dubai and are safe. Our officials from the Indian Consulate met the rescued Indian nationals last night (Friday),” the government source added.
The Indian consulate in Dubai has sent the injured for medical treatment and is in touch with the dhow owner, “rendering all possible assistance in this matter on priority,” the consulate said in a post on X on Saturday.
Adam Bhaya, General Secretary, Indian Sailing Vessels Association, wrote to the consulate seeking assistance for Ker’s final rites and consular access for the rest.
All the 18 sailors are from Gujarat and have been in the United Arab Emirates working for shipping companies for over a year, Bhaya said.
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