Sixteen Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, have been killed and another 75 injured in the West Asia conflict since February, while 12 more Indians died in an accident at a gas facility in Qatar during this period, minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
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The Indian government, in coordination with host governments, has extended assistance to the families of the dead Indian nationals for early repatriation of their bodies. The injured Indians received medical treatment in local hospitals, and Indian embassies and consulates coordinated with local authorities for their treatment, Singh said in a written reply to a question from Communist Party of India-Marxist MP John Brittas.
“Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East in 2026, 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers have lost their lives in the Middle East (one in Saudi Arabia; two in Kuwait; eight in Oman; one in Iraq; and four in UAE), and 75 Indians have been injured (32 in UAE; 24 in Oman; four in Qatar; 13 in Kuwait; one in Saudi Arabia; and one in Israel),” Singh said while providing details of the casualties.
“In a separate accident not related to attacks, 12 Indian nationals have lost their lives in Ras Laffan Gas Facility in Qatar,” he said, referring to an explosion and fire at the energy complex in June.
The assistance provided to injured Indian nationals included establishing contact with their family members, guidance on available travel options and their safe return to India, Singh said.
In all cases involving seafarers in war-zone incidents, ex-gratia compensation of ₹10 lakh was provided under the Directorate General of Maritime Administration’s Welfare Scheme (Seafarers’ Welfare Fund Society).
Compensation related to the death of seafarers is coordinated by the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, and the amount has been disbursed in five of the cases, Singh said.
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“Following due diligence and verification, the amount is disbursed by the government expeditiously to the next of kin of the affected seafarers. Seafarers covered under the Collective Bargaining Agreements signed with their respective unions are also eligible for additional war-zone compensation by Maritime Union of India — for officers ( ₹12 lakh), or National Union of Seafarers of India — for crew ( ₹10 lakh),” he said.
The concerned Recruitment and Placement Service Licence is primarily responsible for pursuing claims for compensation under the vessel’s protection and indemnity insurance cover.
Compensation for the deaths at the gas facility in Qatar is covered under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and an amount of ₹200,000 has been sanctioned for the next of kin of each of the dead.
“Government does not have details of compensation payments made by government of Qatar directly to affected families,” Singh said.
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The external affairs ministry and Indian embassies and consulates in the region coordinated with local authorities in the impacted countries, as well as with the civil aviation ministry, to facilitate the travel of stranded Indian passengers.
“Upon partial opening of airspace across the region, government facilitated a number of commercial flights, including non-scheduled operations. In those countries where commercial flight operations were not available, Indian nationals were facilitated to obtain transit visa and travel to adjacent countries to embark on available flights,” he said.
The government uses a structured, multi-layered mechanism, consisting of regular advisories, setting up additional emergency helplines and 24×7 control rooms, and evacuation operations as necessary, to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals abroad. The Rapid Response Cell (RRC) of the external affairs ministry coordinates with concerned agencies, services, armed forces and ministries to swiftly respond to crisis situations involving Indian nationals.
More than 10 million Indian nationals live in West Asia, with a majority concentrated in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
