India has summoned a senior US diplomat for a second time in two days, after American strikes on three largely Indian-crewed merchant vessels off Oman killed three Indians, AFP reports.

The foreign ministry said it had summoned US Deputy Chief of Mission Jason Meeks to lodge “a strong protest… regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners”.

The attacks “have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives”, the ministry said.

On Thursday, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker was hit in a US strike. New Delhi said its crew, who included 20 Indian sailors, were rescued.