Three Indian sailors, who were declared missing after a US attack on a tanker off the coast of Oman, have died, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday, even as reports emerged of another US raid on a merchant ship with Indian crew members on board in the same area.
The three Indian sailors were reported missing after the Omani Armed Forces rescued 25 other crew members, including 21 Indians, on board the Palau-flagged ship MT Settebello following an attack by a US aircraft on Wednesday.
“It is extremely unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident that occurred on board the Palau-flagged ship MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian sailors who were initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead after their bodies were located and identified,” Sonowal said on social media.
Describing the deaths as a “huge loss to our marine family”, Sonowal said the government “stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting their relatives”.
Sonowal said he had instructed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and speedy return of the bodies of the dead.
People familiar with the matter said there was another US strike on a commercial ship with an Indian crew on board off the coast of Oman on Thursday. They added that all crew members on board the ship are fine.
The Indian Embassy in Oman said in a social media post: “We learned of an incident involving a ship off Oman’s Shinas Port earlier today. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities to obtain further details.”
On Wednesday, India condemned the attack on Setibelo and the Ministry of External Affairs summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Jason Meeks to register a strong protest over the incident.
Earlier on Thursday, Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Seafarers’ Federation of India (FSUI), identified two of the dead crew members of the Settebello as student Aditya Sharma and engine technician Shivanand Chaurasia.
“I have been given the names of the dead crew members by the companies that recruited them,” Yadav told HT.
“It is unacceptable for merchant ships and their crews to be attacked in this way,” Yadav said, referring to the US attacks on Citybello and MT Marifix this week. “The ships that were attacked were not carrying any weapons.”
The 24 Indian crew members on board the Marivex were evacuated to safety by the Omani Army after a US missile strike on the Palau-flagged ship.
“Both the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the United States targeted commercial ships during the ceasefire,” Yadav said. He added, “The American attacks targeted the ships’ engine rooms filled with fuel and other combustible materials, which led to increased risks to ship crews.”
US Central Command said on social media that the CityBlue ship was disabled while crossing the Gulf of Oman by an aircraft firing precision munitions into the ship’s engine room “after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with the directives of US forces.” It said the ship “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.”
