- Family of Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh urges swift body return.
- Three Indian seafarers died in commercial vessel’s military strike.
- MEA confirms US Navy strike, repatriating deceased crew members.
The family of Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh, one of the three Indian seafarers killed in the military strike on the commercial vessel MT Settebello off the coast of Oman, has appealed to the Indian government to expedite the return of his mortal remains.
As efforts continue to bring the bodies of the deceased crew members back to India, Suresh’s family has spoken about the ordeal of learning about his death and the uncertainty that followed the attack.
Wife Recounts Receiving News Of Husband’s Death
Speaking to ANI, Suresh’s wife, Bhargavi, said she was initially informed that three crew members, including her husband, were missing following the incident.
“I requested them to do the necessary things regarding the transportation of his body. I just requested them to do the favour as early as possible. He was a victim, suffering alone on the ship with no help for so long.”
According to Bhargavi, her husband was the last of the three missing crew members to be located during rescue operations.
“Last night, I received a call from a particular office informing me that three of the crew members were missing, of whom one person was my husband, Suresh Patnala. So, so far, they’re missing. But they are not confirming if it was done by the US Navy or Iran Navy. No one is coming forward to accept the incident, but I lost him and the other two crew members were also declared dead at night only.”
She said his body was not recovered during the initial rescue efforts.
“But his body was not retrieved at night, so the next morning, another rescue operation was held by the Royal Oman Ship crew, and after that, they rescued him. They identified, and then they informed, and they clarified to me that he is no more.”
24 Indians Were On Board
A total of 24 Indian crew members were onboard MT Settebello at the time of the attack. Officials have confirmed that 21 crew members were rescued, while three lost their lives.
Association Raises Questions Over Attack
East Coast Fishing Boat Owners Association President Janakiram questioned the circumstances surrounding the strike on the vessel.
“Yesterday evening, a US military attacked an Indian commercial ship off the Oman coast area. In this incident, three seafarers on a commercial ship were killed by the US military. It’s a very tragic situation.”
He also sought clarity regarding the attack and called for support for the affected families.
“We requested the Ministry of External Affairs to safely reach the dead bodies and hand them over to the victim families and help to the shipping authority and the shipping ministry. What compensation is given from the shipping ministry and shipping company to subsidise the deceased sailors’ families?”
MEA Working On Repatriation
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said efforts are underway to bring the mortal remains of the three deceased crew members to India at the earliest.
During an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the attack on the vessel was carried out by the US Navy operating in the region.
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