CENTCOM spokesman says 21 from tanker on US ship

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command says 21 crew members rescued from the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous are now on board the Navy's USS Bainbridge after an explosion.

Lt. Col. Earl Brown says the U.S. Navy ship was in international waters in the Gulf of Oman near the Courageous when it received a distress call about 6 a.m. local time.

Brown says the Bainbridge provided "immediate assistance" to the Courageous and its crew members after they abandoned ship.

Naval Forces Central Command also received a distress call from the MV Front Altair.

The shipping company that operates the Front Altair said earlier that the crew of that ship was safely evacuated.

Earlier, Iranian state TV is airing footage of crewmembers on one of the tankers damaged in a suspected attack in the Sea of Oman in a room watching English language news on television.

The video shows apparent crewmembers, including one woman, sitting on couches and watching TV in the Iranian port of Jask.

Two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, were damaged in suspected attacks today, the U.S. Navy said, with one adrift and on fire amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.