Muscat, June 17: The Indian Embassy in Oman announced on Wednesday that the bodies of two Indian sailors, who lost their lives in the attack on the vessel MT Settabelo, have been sent back to India.
The embassy expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased in a statement released on the social media platform X.
The statement read, “Aditya Sharma and Shivanand Chaurasia, who tragically lost their lives in the attack on MT Settabelo, have had their bodies returned to India. Our sympathies are with their families during this difficult time.”
On Tuesday, the embassy also reported that all 21 Indian crew members aboard the ship are safely returning to India from Oman. Before their departure, India’s Ambassador to Oman, Prashant Pise, met with the crew to encourage them.
According to the Indian Embassy in Oman, the attack occurred approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast near Sohar on the Palau-flagged vessel MT Settabelo. Following the incident, 21 Indians were rescued, while three sailors lost their lives.
The embassy informed that the Oman Maritime Security Center was immediately notified, prompting a search and rescue operation.
In response to the incident, the Indian government took a firm stance, lodging a diplomatic protest. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with the U.S. Secretary of State to express India’s objections to the attack.
The Ministry of External Affairs also summoned the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, stating that such actions against civilian vessels are unacceptable and pose serious implications for international maritime security.
The U.S. Central Command acknowledged that the vessel was targeted due to allegations of transporting oil from Iran and not complying with U.S. directives. According to the military, the ship was neutralized during the operation.
India has deemed this incident serious, urging for enhanced security measures for civilian maritime vessels and calling for prevention of such occurrences in the future.
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