One of the four sailors killed in a Russian missile attack near the port of Odessa in Ukraine on Sunday had gotten engaged just three months earlier in his village in Kerala. He was scheduled to tie the knot in two months.
Akhil Goyan, 26, the only son of a couple from Velarikundu in Kasaragod district, was on board a merchant ship flying the Guinea Bissau flag that was subjected to the Russian attack that killed 10 people.
Goyan and four other sailors were killed in the missile attack, the first example of casualties among Indian sailors in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Another Indian was reportedly taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“The bride is from Alappuzha district. He returned to work a month ago,” Shobi Joseph, a member of the Balal Gram Panchayat ward, Goyan’s home country, told news agency PTI.
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He joined the Merchant Navy at age 19
According to Joseph, Joyan’s father ran an electrical store while his mother was an insurance agent. The couple had recently built their house and were largely dependent on their only son.
The parents contacted the local MP and MLA to bring the body back home.
Joseph told PTI that the news of Joyan’s death was sent via company email on Monday evening.
She added: “We are trying to collect more details and complete the necessary procedures. He joined the Merchant Navy when he was 19 years old.”
The vessel was operated by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd, according to LSEG data.
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The Kerala Chief Minister’s Office has instructed the Kerala Non-Resident Affairs Department (NORCA) to coordinate with the Russian Consulate and the Ministry of External Affairs to collect more information about Joyan’s death, according to an official statement.
Middle East Airlines condemns the attack
A day after the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the attack. Randhir Jaiswal, MEA spokesperson, shared the statement in a post on his X account.
“Our mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to provide all possible assistance to those affected,” the statement read. It expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and the “speedy and complete recovery” of the injured Indian citizen.
“India condemns such attacks and reiterates that targeting commercial vessels and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or impeding freedom of navigation and trade, is unfortunate and must be avoided.”
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Reuters quoted Serhiy Lysak, head of the city’s military administration, as saying that the attack on the MV Golden Leo came before another Russian attack on the port of Odessa that killed three people and injured three others on Monday.
(With inputs from PTI)
