New Delhi, March 12 -- India on Thursday strongly condemned attacks on merchant vessels after multiple incidents in the West Asia region led to the deaths and injuries of Indian crew members working on commercial ships

Speaking during the weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India opposes attacks on merchant shipping "from any quarters" and confirmed that several Indian nationals have been affected in recent incidents.

"We've lost so far three Indian nationals, and the fourth Indian national is missing. All four nationals were part of the crew on board merchant ships...Our embassies in Oman and Iraq and our consulate in Dubai are working with local authorities to have their mortal remains...