Twenty-five Indians and two others were rescued by the US Navy in the Northern Arabian Gulf after the engine room of the vessel they were travelling in caught fire and forced them to jump on to a raft.

The crew of USS Mustin destroyer rescued the 25 Indians, a Sri Lankan and a Napalese on board Olympias Wednesday at 11 p.m. local time, a US Navy press release said, adding the cause of fire is unknown.

"Those aboard the Panamanian-flagged vessel boarded the US Navy ship where they received food, clothing and medical attention. Navy medical corpsmen report that all passengers are in good health," the press release added.

Mustin was conducting maritime security operations in the area when it received distress calls from another US vessel Carl Vinson that was deployed for air support to multi-nation forces on the ground in Iraq.

"When crewmembers from the destroyer arrived on the scene, they found the motor vessel's superstructure burning and 27 people from Olympias jumping on to a life raft," the US Navy said.

"Mustin sailors safely transferred 25 Indians, a Nepalese and one Sri Lankan to the destroyer's rigid-hull inflatable boats."

Coalition maritime vessels, like Mustin and Vinson, operate on international waters in the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, conducting maritime security operations.

These operations set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations.

--Indo-Asian News Service