MANGALURU: A sailor from Bantwal near Mangaluru who was among 10 Indian nationals rescued by the Oman Navy after Iran attacked a commercial vessel off the Oman coast on Sunday is currently safe in Oman under the supervision of their company authorities.
Cyprus-flagged commercial vessel GFS Galaxy came under attack from Iran off the coast of Oman. According to the Union Ministry of External Affairs, of the 11 Indian nationals on board, 10 have been rescued so far while 1 Indian national is reportedly missing. “One person who sustained severe injuries is currently undergoing treatment while another crew member who sustained minor injuries has been discharged. The company has assured they will send us back to India after completing due procedures,” the sailor informed.
The sailor, aged 25, a resident of Bantwal taluk who has been working for the shipping company for the last three years, told TNIE that the Iranian projectile attack at around 2 am on Sunday left the engine room ablaze. He said there were 24 crew members.
“Immediately after the attack, two sailors were missing. One of the crew members was evacuated with some injuries from the engine room, while a rescue operation to find another missing crew member is underway. We were forced to abandon the vessel and jump into the lifeboat,” the sailor recalled. The vessel was heading to a port in the UAE when the attack occurred.
He said that since the area was declared a war zone, they were prepared for any emergency, including aerial or drone attacks. “But I did not ever imagine our vessel would be under attack. We were just about one kilometre away from reaching the land as we could see an island when the missile struck,” he said.
They contacted the Omani navy, which rescued them and took them to their base. The Indian Embassy is coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing rescue operation.
The sailor is a graduate of Vivekananda College in Puttur and later pursued a marine course in Mumbai. His brother said that they were tense over his safety due to the ongoing tension in the Middle East, as he used to share details about how disturbed the crew were during the voyage. “We are relieved now and hope for his safe return to India,” his brother added.