Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 others injured in a drone strike in Oman’s Sohar city on Friday, marking the first Indian deaths on land since the Iran-US conflict began on February 28.

The attack took place in Sohar, an industrial port city in Oman. The victims were expatriate workers. Most of the injured are Indians.

Joint secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs Aseem Mahajan confirmed the deaths during an inter-ministerial media briefing on the situation in West Asia.

"I wish to share with you an incident that happened in Sohar city today. There was an attack and in this incident two Indian nationals have died," he said.

"We express our deepest condolences to their families. Of the 11 injured (in the attack), 10 are Indians. Out of them, five have been discharged after receiving treatment, and five others are receiving treatment in local hospitals," Mahajan said.

"None of them is reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the concerned company and local authorities and is rendering all assistance," he said. Mahajan did not give details of the strike.

The Oman News Agency reported that two drones crashed in Sohar. One of them hit the Al Awhi Industrial Zone, killing two expatriate workers. With the latest incident, the number of Indian deaths linked to the conflict in West Asia has risen to five.

Earlier, three Indian sailors were killed in attacks on merchant vessels after the conflict began on February 28. The government said around 10 million Indian nationals live in West Asia. Officials said 150,000 Indians have returned home since the conflict started.

Mahajan also spoke about an attack on the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu near Basra in Iraq on Wednesday. Fifteen Indian crew members from the vessel were evacuated and taken to a hotel in Basra city.

One Indian crew member was killed in that attack. Efforts are underway to bring the mortal remains of the deceased to India, Mahajan said. The Indian mission in Basra is also working to arrange the return of the 15 crew members.

Mahajan said around 2,900 Indians returned from Qatar in Qatar Airways flights in the past few days. Another 1,000 Indians returned from Bahrain.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 117 Indian nationals crossed into Armenia from Iran through land border crossings. Several of them have already returned to India.

"We told all sides to adopt the path of dioplomacy and dialogue to resolve it the conflict as soon as possible. We are also talking to BRICS member states so that a consensus evolves on this issue," he said.