Remains of Indian sailor who died on board tanker off Oman coast brought to port | Today’s news
The mortal remains of Nishant Uirthanathan, who died due to medical complications aboard a tanker off the coast of Oman, have been brought to the port, the Front Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), the body representing Indian seafarers worldwide, said on Monday. In a post on X, the union expressed concern over the lack of immediate medical support and called for the speedy repatriation of his remains to his family in Tamil Nadu.
“An unforgettable tragedy marked by shocking hypocrisy: all SOS alerts were ignored and timely medical assistance was denied, resulting in the death of this young officer.
Despite three days of bureaucracy, his body remains on board. We demand immediate repatriation to his family in Tamil Nadu,” FSUI wrote.
According to the Indian Embassy in Muscat, Uirthanathan died on June 11 – two days after becoming “seriously ill” on board the MT Celestial.
A video surfaced on social media on Saturday showing crew members offering food to Uirthanathan while he looked visibly ill.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said, “Necessary arrangements are being made for the early repatriation of the remains to India,” and offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Union expresses concern over delayed aid
The FSUI strongly argued that early response to SOS alerts could have saved the 35-year-old sailor. The union also claimed the vessel lacked adequate refrigeration to preserve the body, forcing crew members to use bottles of cold water in an attempt to slow decomposition.
The union released a video it claimed showed the officer’s body covered in plastic sheets. Crew members wrapped the body to help preserve it while waiting for help.
“His body was left on board for over 2 days without proper cooling. The crew is using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to slow the decomposition – a scary and health threatening situation,” FSUI said.
The incident followed the death of three Indian sailors
The death came days after three Indian sailors were killed in a US attack on a tanker off Oman, drawing criticism from the public and opposition parties.
Opposition leaders urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit later this week.
On Friday, India took the unusual step of filing a second protest with the United States over the strike, which comes more than three months after the US-Israel conflict involving Iran.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had summoned the US chargé d’affaires to express “deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping”.
(With inputs from news agencies)
