Three French tourists have died and two others were injured after a tour boat carrying visitors capsized off the coast of Oman, authorities confirmed.
The Royal Oman Police said in a statement shared on X that the vessel overturned on Tuesday, Jan. 27, about 2.5 nautical miles from Sultan Qaboos Port in the wilayat of Mutrah, near the Omani capital of Muscat.
According to local outlet Oman Daily Observer, the boat had departed from Muscat earlier that morning and was headed to the Damaniyat Islands, a popular tourist destination, when the incident occurred around 9 a.m. local time.
Police said there were 25 French tourists on board, along with a tour guide and the boat’s captain. Three of the tourists were pronounced dead, while two others sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene by crews from the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority.
Images released by authorities showed the capsized boat floating in the water as nearby vessels passed through the area. Passengers were reportedly rescued by another boat that happened to be nearby at the time of the accident.
Oman’s Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority later shared additional photos from the rescue operation and confirmed that emergency teams in Muscat Governorate responded quickly to the report of the overturned tourist vessel.
In comments shared by Sky News, a spokesperson for the agency said many passengers had already been pulled from the water by other tourist boats and Coast Guard police by the time rescue teams arrived.
“The majority of the injured were elderly, and some were suffering from panic and cold due to exposure to the water,” the spokesperson said, adding that oxygen was administered until their conditions stabilized. The official also noted that some passengers were not wearing life jackets at the time of the trip.
Authorities said the bodies of the deceased would be transferred to the appropriate officials to complete legal procedures. Police have confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the capsizing is ongoing.
An operator cited by the Oman Daily Observer said sea conditions had been rough in recent days and appeared to worsen suddenly before the incident.
Officials in Oman and France have been contacted for further comment as the investigation continues.
Discover more from True News Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.