Sources told PTI that the vessel sank because of “mechanical failure”.

Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Muscat had posted: “It has emerged that the vessel experienced an engine failure, and the crew eventually transferred safely to a life-raft. Rescue operation is presently underway through ships in vicinity, under coordination of Omani authorities.”

India is navigating a tricky phase amid the Iran war with at least three ships with Indian crew members shot down by the United States in the space of four days, leading to three deaths.

Last week, India summoned top US diplomat in Delhi, charge d’affaires Jason Meeks, for the second time in a week and lodged a “strong protest” over a series of attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman.

As many as three Indian seafarers were killed after MT Settebello was attacked. Out of the 24 Indians on board, 21 were rescued.

Prior to that, US forces fired Hellfire missiles into the engine room of MT Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker, near the Oman coast.  All 20 Indian seafarers on board were safely evacuated.

The war in West Asia, triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 and the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, have left Indian lives and livelihoods at risk along with the economic impact. As Indian seafarers are part of the global shipping industry, they have become casualties in the ongoing conflict. At least 13 Indians have been killed since the begining of the conflict, and one remains missing.

The strait is the key channel through which 20 percent of the global energy supply passes in large carriers. Qatar, UAE, Kuwait have all been negatively impacted by the closure of the strait, and that has led to a global rise in prices of oil and gas, and impacted the supply of LPG to India and other countries. US President Donald Trump earlier announced that a peace deal will be signed on Sunday, while Iranian side did not hint on any proposed time.