Family members of an Indian sailor killed aboard a hijacked fuel tanker off Somalia have appealed to New Delhi to bring his remains home, as questions persist over when the five crew members died.
NEW DELHI: Mohammed Tanweeruz Zaman was among five crew members killed aboard the MT Honour 25 after Puntland State forces retook the vessel from pirates, his family confirmed on Wednesday. They are urging Indian authorities to help repatriate his remains.
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The Palau-flagged tanker was seized on April 21 off Somalia’s northeastern Puntland State region while carrying 17 people and about 18,500 barrels of oil to Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
The Puntland State Maritime Police Force, which intercepted the vessel on Tuesday, said in a statement that pirates killed five crew members “before the government forces launched their operation.” The dead included Zaman, three Pakistani nationals and one citizen of Myanmar.
Manoj Yadav, secretary-general of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, which represents sailors employed on commercial vessels, told Arab News that Zaman’s family received photographs of his remains on Wednesday.
A video circulated by the FSUI team supporting the family shows relatives appealing to Indian officials to assist with the return of his body.
“Please bring him back,” his mother says through tears. Another relative adds: “No matter how, please bring his body. We have already been in distress for the last five months. We want his body anyway. We are really in deep distress.”
Zaman worked as a cook aboard the MT Honour 25.
“He was the only Indian on board from what I understood after seeing the crew list,” Yadav said.
“During the time of hijacking, usually, all seafarers are kept in a confined space, but the cooks are left (free) just to provide meals to all of them, including the hijackers. What made them kill this person … needs to be clarified.”
Puntland State authorities have said the sailors were killed before the rescue operation began. But Yadav said it must still be determined whether the deaths occurred beforehand or during an exchange of fire.
“My people are still there with the family in Kolkata, and we are trying to reach out to the other authorities to get more information.”
