9 crewmembers rescued, search still on for others after oil tanker capsizes in Arabian Sea off Oman

Search teams rescued nine crewmembers, mostly Indians, and were searching for seven others after an oil tanker capsized this week off the coast of Oman, the Indian Navy said Wednesday.

The tanker, the MT Prestige Falcon, capsized in the Arabian Sea late Monday about 25 nautical miles (29 miles) southeast of Oman’s Ras Madrakah area, according to Oman’s Maritime Security Agency.

The cause of the capsizing and the condition of the tanker and its cargo were not immediately known. But the Indian Navy, which sent a warship to help in the search operations, said the rescue teams were dealing with rough sea and strong winds.

In a statement, the Navy said eight Indians and another crewmember had been rescued, and that Indian and Omani teams were continuing to search for others. The crew included 13 Indians and three Sri Lankans, it said.

The 117-meter-long (383-foot) Prestige Falcon, flying the flag of Comoros, had been carrying a cargo of oil products from the port of Hamriya in the United Arab Emirates to the Yemeni port of Aden, according to the shipping-tracking website marinetraffic.com.