Pune: A Pune-based marine engineer who went missing after a merchant ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz has been declared dead, his family confirmed on Wednesday, and they have urged authorities to repatriate his body.
Heramb Karmarkar, 30, had been reported missing after the Cyprus-flagged container vessel GFS Galaxy came under attack off the coast of Oman on Sunday. Indian agencies previously said 10 Indian crew members from the vessel were rescued, but Karmarkar remained unaccounted for during search efforts.
Karmarkar’s father-in-law, Vivek Tandon, confirmed the fatality and pleaded with the central government to arrange for the return of the body to India. “He was a 30-year-old young man, not an elderly person. Our only request to the Government of India is that his body be handed over to us intact and brought home,” Tandon told IANS.
MEA Coordinating With Omani Authorities
The Ministry of External Affairs said the repeated assaults on commercial vessels in the area were “deeply worrisome” and noted that India’s embassy in Oman was working alongside Omani officials during the search and rescue operation. The embassy added on X that its team stayed in steady contact with Omani authorities, the ship’s managers and other parties, and was extending all possible help after the attack.
US Blames IRGC
US Central Command accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of carrying out the strike on the Cyprus-flagged GFS Galaxy as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, reporting one crew member missing. “Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed. In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait. The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief,” the command said.
The incident unfolded amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves.
