NEW DELHI: Three Indian sailors have died following a US strike on the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, authorities said on Thursday.The vessel had 24 Indian crew members on board at the time of the incident. Of these, 21 were rescued, while three sailors who were earlier reported missing were later confirmed dead after their bodies were recovered and identified.The deceased have been identified as Aditya Sharma, Shivanand Chaurasiya and Suresh Patnala.Aditya Sharma, a deck cadet from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, was among those killed. His family has demanded an inquiry into the circumstances of the incident and questioned the ship’s movement in a tense maritime zone.A family member told ANI, “There is only one demand, we want to know with whose permission the captain took the ship forward. We demand that Anurag Thakur and the Himachal government conduct an inquiry and find those responsible. Our heart is shattered.”His uncle said the family had been seeking updates since he was reported missing, but had received limited information from the shipping company.In Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district, the second victim, Shivanand Chaurasiya, a 31-year-old welder, had been on his first overseas assignment and is survived by his wife and two young children.His father, Ramji Chaurasia, said the family had been hoping for his return as he worked to support them.The third victim, Suresh Patnala, a 44-year-old marine engineer from Visakhapatnam, had spoken to his wife shortly before the incident.His wife, P Bhargavi, said she later received confirmation of his death and identified him through a tattoo in a photograph of the recovered body. She said, “A few days ago, I got a phone call from my husband Patnala Suresh, and when I asked about his safety because of the ongoing unrest, my husband sounded distressed and said the situation was not good and was waiting to come back home. However, the situation has changed drastically, and I have lost my husband.“Officials said the tanker came under attack while operating in the region. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with authorities in Oman.The MEA said, “We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today. Of the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far and 03 Indians are reportedly missing,”It added that the Indian embassy in Oman is coordinating search and rescue operations with local authorities.The government has said it is working to ensure the return of the mortal remains and provide support to the families of the deceased sailors.
