21 June 2022; MEMO: Two Omani fishermen have been found alive after being missing at sea for 10 days. They were spotted near Pakistan by a merchant ship, reported the Oman Observer on Saturday.
The pair, Ali Al-Jafari and Salim Al-Jafari were reported as missing on Thursday, after they had set out for fishing on a 25-foot-long boat, powered by a 200-horsepower engine, according to the Omani Fishermen Association and were last seen by fishermen in Deira 345, which is 58 miles from Al- Ashkharah, a town in the Ash-Sharqiyah Region.
The men have since been repatriated, after having been handed over to Muscat's Consulate General in Karachi by the Pakistani maritime authorities who had coordinated with Oman's Royal Air Force, Navy and police forces in the search efforts.
A statement issued by Oman's Foreign Ministry said "The embassy of Oman in Pakistan confirmed that coordination is under way with the Pakistani authorities to return Omani fishermen, Salim Al Jafari and Ali Al Jafari, who were rescued by a ship transiting the Arabian Sea after they were lost at sea in Al Ashkharah area in South Sharqiyah on 9 June."
In an interview with Oman TV, a relative of the missing fishermen said, "We received a phone call from them on Saturday. We were informed that they both are safe and healthy." He explained that their boat's engine failed in the middle of the sea, forcing them to wander aimlessly in the open ocean for ten days.
"One Pakistani ship which was passing through the area saved them. We thank the Royal Air Force of Oman and the Royal Oman Police for their efforts to find them."
