Three people, two Indians and a Pakistani, were killed and six were injured in a series of alleged drone strikes on three fuel tankers and a storage facility of oil firm ADNOC in Muzaffar Industrial Area in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack carried out on Monday.
The Indian mission in Abu Dhabi in a tweet wrote, “UAE authorities have informed that the explosion at Mussafah, near ADNOC’s storage tanks, has led to 3 casualties, which included 2 Indian nationals. The Mission @IndembAbuDhabi is in close touch with UAE authorities concerned for further details.”
ALSO READ: Abu Dhabi: 2 Indian nationals among three killed in suspected drone attack
UAE authorities have informed that the explosion at Mussafah, near ADNOC’s storage tanks, has led to 3 casualties, which includes 2 Indian nationals. The Mission @IndembAbuDhabi is in close touch with concerned UAE authorities for further details.
— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) January 17, 2022
Meanwhile, India’s envoy to the UAE, Sunjay Sudhir, told India Today that reaching out to the families of the victims was his mission’s “top priority”
“Our mission is in close touch with UAE authorities concerned for further details. Top priority is to reach out to the families of those who have died,” he said.
The first confirmation of the deaths of Indian nationals came in a tweet by Abu Dhabi Police, where they wrote: “The accident resulted in the death of a person of Pakistani nationality and two people of Indian nationality, and the injury of 6 others. Their injuries were between light and medium.”
#| #_: 6 pic.twitter.com/sbbVsphDoF
— 24.ae | (@24emirates24) January 17, 2022
The authorities have ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion.
The Abu Dhabi Police added in a tweet, “competent authorities begin an extensive investigation into the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding it.”
#_: pic.twitter.com/Mp5JItA3on
— 24.ae | (@24emirates24) January 17, 2022
The Houthis have been attempting to launch attacks against the UAE and Saudi Arabia. While the UAE has largely scaled down its military presence in Yemen since 2019, they still hold sway over the Yemeni forces.
The fire that broke out in the storage facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport caused flights to be suspended temporarily, according to local media reports.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company issues statement
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) issued a statement and said that at approximately 10:00 am on Monday morning, an “incident occurred at our Mussafah Fuel Depot in Abu Dhabi which resulted in the outbreak of a fire”.
“Emergency response teams, including civil defence, fire and ambulance responders as well as an ADNOC emergency response team quickly attended the scene, and the fire was brought under control and extinguished,” the statement read.
“ADNOC is deeply saddened to confirm that three colleagues have died,” the statement read, adding that: “A further six colleagues were injured and received immediate specialist medical care”.
“Professional support teams are supporting the families of all those who have been impacted. At this time, the entire ADNOC family extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of our colleagues who died this morning”.
“We are working closely with the relevant authorities to determine the exact cause and a detailed investigation has commenced,” it added.
ALSO READ: UAE suspects drones caused Abu Dhabi fires, Yemen Houthis claim attack
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