An Indian national suffered a minor injury in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Abu Dhabi early on Monday after the debris of a ballistic missile fell in the Al Shawamekh area following successful interception.
Dozens of Indians, including workers and seafarers, have been injured in attacks across Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Iraq.
The Abu Dhabi media office took to X early on Monday and said, “Relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi have responded to an incident involving debris falling in the Al Shawamekh area following the successful interception of a ballistic missile by air defence systems. The incident resulted in a minor injury to an Indian national.” Follow Dubai-Abu Dhabi news live updates
“The public is reminded to obtain information from official sources only and avoid spreading rumours or unverified information,” it added.
Missile and drone attacks have been escalating by the day as the US-Iran war entered its fourth week on Monday.
On Sunday, UAE’s ministry of defence said that air defenses engaged 25 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and four ballistic missiles. The ministry noted that since the beginning of the Iranian “aggression” following the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the UAE has dealt with 1,773 UAVs, 15 cruise missiles and 345 ballistic missiles.
So far, six Indians have lost their lives in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia reporting its first Indian casualty last week. Earlier, two Indians were killed in an attack on an industrial area in Oman, and three seafarers died in attacks on merchant vessels in the days of conflict.
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During the inter-ministerial briefings, the Centre has assured that it has focused on the safety and security of the 10 million Indian nationals living in the war-hit West Asian countries.
UAE’s ambassador to India, Abdulnasser Alshaali, said on Saturday that the Gulf nation has assured India that the safety of Indians living there is its “priority”, stressing that they are protected and treated like family.
Alshaali also appreciated India’s move to co-sponsor a UN resolution that condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries, stating that it was a statement of principle from a country that the UAE considers a strategic partner and friend.
The UAE will remember that India was among those “who stood with us first,” he added.
“The safety of Indian nationals in the UAE is a priority. They are protected and are treated as family, including the 200 nationalities living in the country in peace and harmony,” Alshaali told news agency PTI.
He noted that four million Indians reside in the UAE, saying that they are “not a statistic”.
“They are the son from Kerala sending money home each month so his mother can pay her medical bills, the engineer from Hyderabad building infrastructure that will stand for a century, the teacher from Tamil Nadu shaping the futures of Emirati children,” he added.
He said that the safety of the Indians living in the country is a “personal responsibility” that the UAE’s leadership carries every day.
“What I would say to Indian families is this: the UAE’s commitment to protecting the people who have built their lives here is absolute,” the envoy said.
