Bones recovered in Indian captain's cabin 4 days after he goes missing post Gulf of Oman oil tanker attack

Patna: Four days after captain Ashish Kumar, a resident of Bettiah in West Champaran district, along with another crew member of an oil tanker ‘Skylight’, went missing after an attack on it in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, the family members got an update on Thursday that bones were recovered from his cabin.

The ship, owned by a Dubai-based company, was anchored off Khasab coast on the Strait of Hormuz, when the attack took place.




Talking to TOI, a family member said that they received the information that the ship was attacked, and two people were missing on Sunday itself. “On Thursday, we got an update that bones were recovered from the captain’s cabin. There were two people there at the time of the incident. The other was a crew member. There, however, is no information on either of them so far, just that some bones were recovered from the captain’s cabin, but the Maritime Security Centre, Indian embassy and MEA did not identify it yet. They say further investigation, including DNA testing, will take time,” he said, adding that the family was praying for his safety.

Meanwhile, his wife is inconsolable, while five-year-old son, Daksh, is waiting for him to return home.

According to the family members, Ashish, a resident of Teachers’ Town in Bettiah, joined the shipping company in Dubai on Jan 20, having an experience of more than 10 years in merchant navy. He boarded the ship on Feb 22 and last talked to his mother, Sunita Devi, and wife, Anshu Kumari, on Saturday (Feb 28).

Ashish is the eldest of three sons of Ashok Kumar, a lawyer.

Meanwhile, another Patna native has been taking shelter at a friend’s house after a missile interception near the US Naval base, next to her home, in Bahrain.

Pooja Deepak Kumar, who has been living in Bahrain for years, said this is the first time she experienced something like this. “We are scared. We feel like go back home,” she said.

Recalling the missile interception near the US Naval base, Pooja said, “For the past few days, emergency alert mock drills were being conducted. The siren rang on our phones. That day too (Feb 28), I was drying clothes on my balcony and suddenly the siren started blaring. I leaned over to look around what was happening. A big missile dropped right in front of my eyes, towards the base, which is just a short distance from our house. Then the explosions kept happening,” she said.

Pooja recounted that glasses shattered and windows broke. “I cannot describe what the atmosphere was like. Within a minute, the entire building was evacuated. We came to a family friend’s place, and we are here since then. The govt played a very proactive role, but there are uncertainties,” she said.