Patnala Suresh, a marine engineer from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, is among the three Indian seafarers killed in the US attack on a ship off the coast of Oman.
Suresh was among three Indian crew members killed after a US attack on oil tanker MTS Settebello off the Oman coast. He was the chief engineer on the vessel.
The Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello was attacked off the coast of Oman, near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
All three Indian sailors who were initially reported missing following the incident have been confirmed dead.
Deck cadet Aditya Sharma and engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya are the other two Indians killed in the attack, which was carried out by the US military after the vessel allegedly attempted to violate a blockade imposed by the US.
The tragedy has left Suresh’s family in Vizag in deep shock. He is survived by his wife and two sons, aged 13 and 10.
According to his wife, Bhargavi, it was on the afternoon of Thursday, June 11, that authorities confirmed his death. She was informed on Wednesday night that there was a drone attack on the ship on which Suresh was working. She was told that her husband and two other crew members were missing.
Bhargavi said she kept following up and tried to get the superintendent’s contact details. She was given a Dubai office number. When she contacted them, they told her that a rescue operation was underway. She was informed that 21 crew members had been rescued and that three were missing.
She learnt through online reports late in the night that the bodies of two missing crew members had been recovered and identified. Only Suresh, the Chief Engineer, was still missing. She continued following up since morning. Around 1 pm, they confirmed that they had found his body. They could not officially confirm it before recovering the body.
Bhargavi requested that they contact the embassy and complete all required formalities as early as possible to send the body home. She said that since more than 24 hours have passed, the process of sending the mortal remains of her husband should not be delayed further.
Suresh’s father, Patnala Rama Krishna Rao, appealed to the authorities to immediately share a photograph of the deceased person, believed to be his family member. “I have been requesting this since morning. We were informed that three people had died. We do not know about the other two individuals, but regarding our family member, we request the authorities to send us a photograph immediately,” he said.
The family has also sought financial assistance, stating that Suresh was the sole breadwinner supporting his wife and two children.