West Asia conflict: Vizag engineer dies in US strike on oil tanker off Oman coast

Visakhapatnam: “A few days ago, I got a phone call from my husband, and when I asked about his safety because of the ongoing unrest in the Persian Gulf, he sounded distressed and said the situation is not good. He said he is waiting to come back home,” says Patnala Bhargavi, wife of Patnala Suresh, chief engineer of merchant vessel MT Settebello.

“However, the situation changed drastically, and I lost my husband,” Bhargavi says, recollecting her last phone conversation with Suresh, who was killed in a missile attack by the US on MT Settebello off the coast of Oman. A resident of Sriharipuram locality in Vizag, he was among the three Indian crew members killed in the US attack.

Bhargavi describes the tense hours that followed once she received news of the tragedy. “Last (Wednesday) night, they (officials) called and informed me that the ship had come under a drone attack and that three Indian crew members were missing. My husband was among them, they said.”

After hours of follow-up, they confirmed that they had found Suresh’s body and sent her a photo of the same. “I could identify my husband by his tattoo,” says Bhargavi.

Suresh had spent more than four months at sea and was looking forward to returning home. Though he received his relieving letter, he was awaiting the arrival of a replacement crew member before disembarking and reuniting with his family. Suresh is survived by wife and two sons.

In a post on X, Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed condolences and stated that the mortal remains of the three deceased Indian sailors will be brought back to India at the earliest. Officials at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi said they are in touch with the Embassy of India in Muscat and other authorities to facilitate assistance to the bereaved family and expedite the repatriation process.