New Delhi : An Indian marine engineer who went missing after the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy was attacked off the coast of Oman has died, his family confirmed on Wednesday. Heramb Karmarkar, 30, was among the 24 crew members on board the vessel, which came under attack on Sunday. According to Cypriot authorities, the ship, carrying a crew of 24, including 11 Indians, was struck by an “unidentified projectile”.
Karmarkar’s father-in-law, Vivek Tandon, told Reuters that the shipping company operating the vessel had informed the family of his death. India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately comment on the development. Karmarkar is the second Indian seafarer to lose his life in the region within three days.
Following Tuesday’s incident, India lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Iran and summoned the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi. The developments come as Iran says it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz following renewed hostilities with the United States, while US President Donald Trump has maintained that the vital shipping lane remains open to all international traffic except Iranian vessels.
Amid escalating tensions in West Asia, the Centre on Wednesday announced a series of measures to safeguard Indian seafarers operating in the Strait of Hormuz and support the families of those killed or injured. The decisions were taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, shortly after fresh attacks on two oil tankers carrying Indian crew members.
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