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regular-article-logo Friday, 20 September 2024

Two Indians die in Abu Dhabi raid

Indian embassy says the mission is in close touch with concerned authorities

AP Via PTI Dubai Published 18.01.22, 12:28 AM
A satellite picture of the  Abu Dhabi international airport.

A satellite picture of the Abu Dhabi international airport. AP/PTI

A suspected drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi killed three people and sparked a separate fire at Abu Dhabi’s international airport on Monday, the police said.

Police in the UAE identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani. It did not identify the wounded, who the police said suffered minor to moderate injuries at an industrial area where Abu Dhabi’s state-owned energy company runs a pipeline network and an oil tanker storage facility.

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The Indian embassy in UAE said that the mission is in close touch with concerned UAE authorities for further details. “UAE authorities have informed that the explosion at Mussafah, near ADNOC’s storage tanks, has led to 3 casualties, which includes 2 Indian nationals.”

Three transport tankers caught fire at the facility, while another fire was sparked at an extension of Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The police said that while an investigation was underway, preliminary findings indicated there were small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire. They said there was no significant damage from the incidents, without offering further details.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed they were behind an attack targeting the UAE on Monday, without immediately elaborating. The Iranian-backed Houthis have claimed several attacks that Emirati officials later denied took place.

The incident comes as Yemen’s years-long war rages on and as an Emirati-flagged vessel was recently captured by the Houthis. Although the UAE has largely withdrawn its own forces from the conflict tearing apart the Arab world’s poorest nation, it is still actively engaged in Yemen and supports local militias there fighting the Houthis.

The UAE has been at war in Yemen since early 2015, and was a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that launched attacks against the Houthis after the group overran the capital of Yemen and ousted the internationally backed government from power.

The Houthis have come under pressure in recent weeks and are suffering heavy losses as Yemeni forces, allied and backed by the UAE, have pushed back the rebels in key southern and central provinces of the country.

Yemen’s government-aligned forces reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and made advances in nearby Marib province. They were aided by the UAE-backed Giants Brigades.

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