22 Indians, including 14 seafarers, killed in West Asia conflict, MEA says

India has lost 22 of its nationals, including 14 seafarers, in the West Asia conflict since February. A fresh flare-up involving Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia is now raising fears for oil supplies and shipping in the Red Sea.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal gave the toll at the ministry's regular briefing on Wednesday. "We are deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in West Asia. We have lost 22 Indian nationals in the conflict, including 14 seafarers," he said. Three of the Indians died in Saudi Arabia, he added.

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The number of Indian casualties has gone up steadily since the war began. In early March, the Directorate General of Shipping reported that three Indian seafarers on foreign-flagged vessels had been killed. It also set up a quick response team to coordinate evacuation and support for those stranded around the Persian Gulf. Within weeks, the MEA put the number of Indians killed at eight, with one missing.

The conflict began in February after the US and Israel attacked Iran. It disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which about a fifth of the world's oil normally passes. India imports more than 85 per cent of its crude oil needs, so any trouble in the region hits it directly. New Delhi has consistently called for a solution through dialogue and diplomacy.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent weeks after the Houthis carried out several strikes on Saudi Arabia. The Iran-backed militant group from Yemen attacked the kingdom's East-West oil pipeline, which is crucial for crude supplies.

The pipeline runs about 1,200 km from the Eastern Province to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It was built in the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq war, as a hedge against a closure of Hormuz. With Hormuz disrupted, it has become Saudi Arabia's main way to get crude to world markets without using that route. Riyadh's energy ministry shut the pipeline in September as a precaution after an attack on it.

The Houthi strikes have also raised concern over the safety of the Bab-el-Mandeb shipping lane. The strait lies between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, and it is only about 30 km wide at its narrowest point. It is the southern gateway to the Suez Canal, which makes it a main route for trade between Asia and Europe.

Saudi crude loaded at Yanbu for Asian buyers, including India, also has to pass through it. Since the Gaza war began in late 2023, the Houthis have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea. That forced many shipping lines to go around the Cape of Good Hope, which added days to voyages and raised freight and insurance costs. A second troubled chokepoint, alongside Hormuz, would leave India with fewer alternatives and higher costs.


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India has been voicing serious concern over the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's civilian infrastructure and economic assets. In September, the MEA condemned the strikes on Saudi territory as unacceptable. It said they undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through Bab-el-Mandeb. It also said energy supplies to India had not been affected.

Several million Indians live and work in Gulf countries, and the region is one of India's biggest sources of energy and remittances. "We remain in close touch with our community in the Gulf region for their safety and wellbeing," Jaiswal said.