All 24 Indian crew rescued from tanker set ablaze off Oman after US strike

All 24 Indian seafarers aboard a tanker that caught fire off the coast of Oman after being struck by US forces have been rescued and evacuated safely, Indian authorities said.Crew members of the unladen tanker had sent distress messages saying the vessel was on fire and sinking.Monday's incident is the latest involving commercial shipping in Gulf waters, where the Iran war and US-led enforcement measures have sharply increased risks to maritime traffic.It comes against the backdrop of tensions involving Iran, the US and Israel, which have disrupted shipping routes and increased military activity in and around the Oman" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="2457" data-entity-type="location">Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.A fire broke out on the tanker MT Marivex at about 1330 local time while 24 Indian sailors were on board, Opesh Kumar Sharma of India's ministry of ports, shipping and waterways told reporters on Monday.Sharma said preliminary reports indicated that all the seafarers were safe and that authorities were coordinating across government agencies to ensure their security. The government did not elaborate on the cause of the fire.According to Indian media reports, the crew was evacuated by helicopter operated by Omani authorities and taken to Masirah Island. Marivex had previously been sanctioned by US authorities for alleged Iran links, the Reuters news agency reported.