Indian news agencies report that the family of the 30-year-old sailor requested the government to return his body. India's Foreign Ministry said 10 of 11 Indian crew members were rescued. The Cyprus-flagged vessel was attacked while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command. The UN says Iran has attacked 56 vessels in the region since the war began, killing 17 sailors.
On Wednesday, the family of the missing Indian sailor, aged 30, confirmed his death and requested the Indian government to repatriate his body, following the attack on the Cyprus-flagged cargo ship JFS Galaxy in the Strait of Hormuz. The confirmation comes a day after India escalated its diplomatic response: at 09:01 Jerusalem on Tuesday, The Zioneer reported that India summoned both Iran's deputy ambassador and acting ambassador in Tehran to protest the killing.
The thread of reports began Tuesday morning with Reuters reporting the summoning of Iran's deputy ambassador, followed by a separate report by The Zioneer's Gili Cohen that the acting ambassador was also summoned. The family's confirmation, reported by Indian news agencies, now provides the first official identification of the sailor's fate. The Indian Foreign Ministry had previously stated that 10 of the 11 Indian crew members were rescued.
The Zioneer has documented a series of maritime incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman since the war began. On June 10, the Indian embassy in Oman confirmed a vessel was struck off the coast. On June 11, India accused the U.S. of killing three sailors in the strait. On July 12, the Oman Maritime Security Center described the GFS Galaxy incident as an 'accident,' and on July 14, the UAE Defense Ministry confirmed that Iranian cruise missiles struck two tankers off Oman, killing one. The UN International Maritime Organization reports that Iran has attacked 56 vessels in the region, killing 17 sailors.
The specific perpetrator of the attack on the JFS Galaxy has not been officially named, and the vessel's fate beyond the rescue of the crew remains unclear. The Indian government's response to the family's repatriation request has not been reported.
2 developments
- DevelopingIndia accuses U.S. of killing three sailors in Hormuz Strait mishap
- StrongOman maritime center calls tanker GFS Galaxy incident an 'accident'; 23 rescued, one missing
- StrongIndia condemns US strike on oil tanker M/T Settebello; 3 Indian crew missing
- StrongCrew of ship struck by Iran in Strait of Hormuz rescued, Ynet reports
Source and signal
- Internal intake