VIJAYAWADA/VISAKHAPATNAM: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday expressed grief over the death of Visakhapatnam resident and Chief Engineer P Suresh in an attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman and assured all possible support to his family.
In a post on X, Naidu said he was deeply saddened by the incident and described Suresh’s death while performing his duties as tragic.
“I express my deepest condolences to Suresh’s family. The State government will support them in every possible way. We have already instructed the authorities to coordinate with the Indian Embassy and Omani officials to bring Suresh’s mortal remains back to the homeland,” the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party State president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao said efforts were being made on a priority basis to bring back Suresh’s mortal remains. He said he had spoken to the Visakhapatnam District Collector and Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu regarding the repatriation process.
“We are making every effort to bring the body back at the earliest. We are hopeful of progress within the next two or three days,” Palla said.
He also wrote to the Chief Minister seeking expeditious repatriation of Suresh’s mortal remains and assistance to the bereaved family.
Suresh, 44, a resident of Sriharipuram in Visakhapatnam, was serving as Chief Engineer aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. He was among three Indian crew members who lost their lives after the vessel reportedly came under attack near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
According to family members, Suresh had spent nearly five months at sea and was preparing to return home. He had already received his relieving letter and was awaiting the arrival of a replacement crew member before disembarking.
His wife, Bhargavi, appealed to the authorities to expedite the formalities required for repatriation. Recalling her final conversation with him on June 9, she said, “We spoke for about five minutes. He sounded distressed and told me the situation was not good. He was eagerly looking forward to returning home.” Suresh was scheduled to return to Vizag by June 24 to celebrate his wedding anniversary.