Two Indian sailors, who went missing after an attack on an oil tanker ‘Skylight’ in the Gulf of Oman, have been killed, according to reports. While the official confirmation was still awaited, the reports identified the deceased sailors as Captain Ashish Kumar from Bihar and crew member Dalip Singh from Rajasthan.

According to the reports, the bodies of Kumar and Singh were burnt in the attack and the rescuers have recovered their bones. The bones of Ashish were recovered from the captain’s cabin, and his family has also been informed about his death.

Advertisement

Upon receiving the information, family members of Ashish said that they considered him missing until yesterday, but the confirmation of his death has left them devastated.

The Palau-flagged oil tanker, with 15 Indian nationals and 5 Iranians on board, was attacked on March 1 in the Gulf of Oman. The oil tanker was sanctioned by the United States.

LIVE Updates US-Israel-Iran War: Another Iranian warship heading towards Sri Lankan territory makes ‘urgent port call’

“The Maritime Security Centre announces that the oil tanker (SKYLIGHT), flying the flag of the Republic of (Palau), was targeted 5 nautical miles north of Khasab Port in the Musandam Governorate, and all crew members of the tanker, consisting of 20 individuals — including 15 holding Indian nationality and 5 of Iranian nationality–have been evacuated,” Oman’s Maritime Security Centre (MSC) had said.

The US and Israeli strikes on Iran, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparked a wider Middle East conflict after Tehran struck US assets in several Gulf nations.

The attacks came days after the US and Iran held another round of nuclear deal talks. While the US claimed that Tehran stalled the talks, Iran alleged that Washington launched an attack while the deal was close to be finalised.

The US and Israel have asserted that the aim of their strikes on Iran is to cripple the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, calling it an “existential threat” to Israel.