The family of a Pune-based marine engineer who went missing after an attack on the merchant vessel GFS Galaxy near the Strait of Hormuz has confirmed that he has died.
Heramb Karmarkar, 30, had been reported missing after the commercial vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman on Sunday. While Indian authorities had earlier confirmed that 10 Indian nationals on board were rescued, Karmarkar remained untraceable during the search operation.
Family seeks return of Heramb Karmarkar’s body
Confirming the development, Karmarkar’s father-in-law, Vivek Tandon, appealed to the Centre to ensure that his body is brought back 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.
India continues coordination with Oman after GFS Galaxy attack
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had described the repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the region as “deeply worrisome”.
The ministry said the Indian Embassy in Oman was coordinating with Omani authorities during the search and rescue operation and thanked them for their assistance.
In a post on X, the embassy said its officials were in constant touch with the Omani authorities, the vessel’s management and other stakeholders while extending all possible support following the incident.
US blames Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
US Central Command had alleged that the Cyprus-flagged container vessel GFS Galaxy was attacked by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It said the attack left 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,” it said.
The attack took place amid heightened tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass.