New Delhi, June 11: The Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Oman affirmed that they are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities following a tragic incident involving a vessel near Shinas port in Oman. The Palau-flagged tanker, MT Settebello, which was carrying twenty-four Indian crew members, was involved in an incident near the Strait of Hormuz. Official updates confirmed that twenty-one individuals have been successfully rescued, while three Indian sailors, initially reported missing, have been confirmed dead.
The affected sailors hailed from different Indian states, including Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Among the deceased was Shivanand Chaurasia, a resident of Surauli village in the Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh. Chaurasia had been working at sea for the past several months to support his family as the sole breadwinner.
Before official confirmation was received, Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, maintained that contact with the vessel had been lost. He asserted during initial updates that information indicated two casualties while the chief engineer remained missing.
Family members of Chaurasia expressed profound grief upon receiving the news from the office. Sanjay Chaurasia, the brother-in-law of the deceased, declared that the family had last spoken to him shortly before the incident occurred, noting that he leaves behind two children. The father of the sailor, Ramji Chaurasia, stated that during their final conversation at 9 pm two days prior, his son had mentioned that everything was fine. Local neighbors added that the youth had struggled extensively to secure his position on the ship and was actively working to improve his family’s financial situation.
The Indian Embassy in Oman issued a formal statement declaring that they became aware of the incident involving the vessel and are maintaining close coordination with local authorities to gather further details and assist those affected.
