Bhagalpur: An Indian marine engineer from Bihar has died after a missile struck an oil tanker in which he was serving amid escalating tensions involving Israel, Iran and the United States. The deceased, Devanandan Prasad Singh, was a resident of Ranibimiyan village in the Kahalgaon block of Bhagalpur district.
Singh was working as an Additional Chief Engineer with an international shipping company and was deployed on the oil tanker Safesea Vishnu. According to reports, the vessel had departed from Basra port in Iraq and was travelling towards Singapore via Al Zubair when the attack took place late on Wednesday night.
The shipping company confirmed the incident on Thursday, stating that several crew members on board the vessel were injured in the missile strike. Singh succumbed to his injuries following the attack. Family members said he had spoken briefly to them shortly before the incident, telling them he was “at sea and on duty” and unable to talk for long.
Around 8am on Thursday, the family received a message from the company informing them about the attack and Singh’s critical condition. They were later informed of his death. His mother, Gayatri Devi, said the family was devastated after receiving the call and struggled to comprehend the sudden loss.
Singh’s niece, Sonali Kumari, appealed to the Government of India and the prime minister to ensure that his mortal remains, currently in Iraq, are brought back to India with national honour. She said the family, especially his grandmother, is desperate to see him one last time.
Devanandan Prasad Singh is survived by a son and a daughter. His son works for a private company in Japan, while his daughter is preparing for medical entrance examinations. The tragic news has left the family and the local community in mourning as efforts continue to bring his body back to his ancestral village in Bhagalpur.
