Indian Embassy Confirms Identity of 2 Indian Nationals Killed in Abu Dhabi

The embassy is in touch with the families of the deceased and efforts are being made to repatriate mortal remains.

The scene of the suspected drone attack. 

Photo Courtesy: Screenshot of video tweeted by @NawiedJabarkhyl 

The two Indians that were killed in the suspected drone strike in Abu Dhabi on Monday, 17 January, for which the Houthi rebels took responsibility, have been identified, the Indian Embassy in UAE tweeted on Tuesday, 18 January.

"Identities of 2 deceased Indian nationals established," the tweet read. It further added that the embassy is in touch with the family members of the deceased.

In addition to the two Indian nationals, one Pakistani national was also killed in the attack.

"The Mission is working closely with UAE authorities, including ADNOC, for early repatriation of mortal remains."

ADNOC stands for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. All the three deceased were employees of the company.

It also said that of the six people injured in the attack, two of them are Indians who received medical treatment and were discharged last night.

The External Affairs Minister of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, also tweeted about the incident, appreciating a phone call from Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

He further tweeted that "fullest support to families of the deceased" is being provided.

Later in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs said:

"EAM S Jaishankar in a telephonic conversation with UAE Foreign Minister AB Zayed discussed the terror attack on UAE that killed two Indian nationals. Zayed extended fullest support to the families of the deceased. UAE authorities are in touch with Indian Embassy."

Data from the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates says that Indians are the largest expat group in the country , accounting for more than 38 percent of its population.

There are 3.42 million Indians in the UAE, out of which, around 15 percent are in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The Houthis (backed by Iran), who took responsibility for the drone attack that killed the two Indian nationals, are fighting the Saudi Arabia backed Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi-led government forces in the Yemeni Civil War.

The multilateral civil war has been raging since 2014, in which the UAE's role lies in training and funding the anti-Houthi forces.

Experts say that the civil war is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two heavyweights of the West Asia region.