Indian Families Mourn Seafarers Killed in US Strike Off Oman; Demand Probe

The lives of three Indian seafarers were tragically cut short when a US military strike struck the commercial vessel MT Settebello near the Oman coast. The victims, identified as marine engineer Patnala Suresh, 44, from Visakhapatnam; Shivanand Chaurasia, 38, from Uttar Pradesh; and Aditya Sharma, 23, from Himachal Pradesh, were among the 21 Indian crew members on board. While 21 others were rescued, these three were confirmed dead after initially being reported missing.

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On Wednesday, we waited the entire day for his call. Later, around 9pm, we received information that the vessel had been attacked and that three crew members were missing.

These men were working in foreign waters, driven by the common goal of securing a better future for their families back home. Young Aditya Sharma, who held a degree in nautical science from a Scottish university, had reluctantly extended his six-month contract by two months to complete essential training. His father, Rajesh Sharma, received his son's last text message just an hour before the vessel was attacked.

"On Wednesday, we waited the entire day for his call. Later, around 9pm, we received information that the vessel had been attacked and that three crew members were missing," Rajesh Sharma recounted. He is now appealing to Indian government officials, including MPs and the External Affairs Minister, to help repatriate his son's body and to initiate a formal investigation. Sharma specifically questioned the captain's decision to navigate the ship into a perceived risk zone.

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I appeal to MP Anurag Thakur, [Himachal Pradesh] CM Sukhu, EAM Dr S Jaishankar and PM Modi to help me get the mortal remains of my child. I want to know what the circumstances were that led to the death of three people. It must be investigated why the Captain of the ship decided to take the ship towards the risk zone?

Ramji Chaurasia, father of Shivanand, shared that his son's last call was to his wife on June 9. Shivanand is survived by his wife, a seven-year-old son, and a two-year-old daughter. Similarly, Suresh's wife, Bhargavi, expressed her grief, noting that they were preparing to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on June 24. Suresh, the chief engineer, is survived by his two young sons, aged 13 and 10.

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Though I had received the message about the drone attack on the marine ship yesterday night, the confirmation about my husband’s death came at around 1pm this afternoon.