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In the early hours of a June 6 strike, the US Navy fired missiles at the oil tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman. The attack killed three Indian sailors – including marine engineer Patnala Suresh – and wounded a dozen others.
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Suresh had spent 15 years at sea, but he lived in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam with his wife Bhargavi and two kids. The couple were set to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary when Suresh’s life was cut short.
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During frantic video calls leading up to the strike, Suresh told his wife he would return home safe. His last words were a promise that Bhargavi clings to even now: I’ll come home safely, and we’ll celebrate our anniversary properly, she remembers.
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The strike has left families across India grieving and demanding answers. Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Indian officials are working to bring the sailors’ bodies home. The Indian government has already lodged a protest with Washington, calling for an end to hits on commercial vessels.
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For Bhargavi, the bigger conflict feels distant. Her priority is to see her son’s body returned and to figure out how to keep her children fed and educated without her husband’s income.
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Other families, like the Sharma’s in Himachal Pradesh and the Chaurasia’s in Uttar Pradesh, face the same pain, hoping to learn what went wrong and to secure their loved‑ones’ remains.
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The incident highlights the dangers faced by seafarers around the world. It asks us to think about how nations can protect those who keep trade flowing across the seas.
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Read more: Three Indian sailors killed in US strike on oil tanker
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