4 min readLucknowJun 12, 2026 12:51 PM IST
First published on: Jun 11, 2026 at 07:12 PM IST
Three Indian sailors killed in US strike: “He promised us he would return soon.” That was the last conversation Ramji Chaurasia (70) had with his elder son, Shivanand, two days ago. The 37-year-old had been working on a ship, the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello, as Engine Petty Officer (Fitter), for the last six months.
Over the past month, however, the family had been worried due to the Iran-US-Israel war.
On Thursday, their worst fears came true. Shivanand was among three Indian seafarers who were killed after an attack by US forces on the ship off the coast of Oman on June 9 amid the ongoing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
Family recalls joy when sailor got the job
Ramji still remembers how overjoyed they were when Shivanand called them up in November last year saying he got a welding job aboard an oil tanker. His son had been working at a welding shop in Pune at the time. Before leaving for Mumbai to join the vessel, he visited his village, Sirauli, located about 7-8 km from the Deoria district headquarters in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
On December 5, he left for Singapore on the ship.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Ramji said, “It had been over six months since we last saw our son. He had called his wife, Sushila, two days ago and spoke to her and the children — six-year-old son Samar and two-year-old daughter Vamika. He told us he would return soon. We were worried because people were talking about the war and how many ships were stranded there.”
He said it was his younger son, Ram Pravesh, who landed a welding job in Dubai three months ago with Shivanand’s help, who first got information about his brother going missing after the attack on the oil tanker.
“He called us around 8 am today and informed us about the incident. Shivanand’s death was confirmed later. My wife Kalawati, 62, and Shivanand’s wife, Sushila, 31, have been inconsolable.”
Unable to hold back his tears, Ramji said, “I somehow managed to run the household and meet my family’s basic needs. We own only 5-6 katthas of farmland, which yields very little. Shivanand left home a few years ago to support the family and was working as a welder in Pune. He had recently helped arrange the marriage of his sister.”
Theirs is a lower middle-class family.
“We were very happy and hopeful that our financial troubles would finally ease after Shivanand secured a better-paying job on the ship. He had also helped his younger brother find work in Dubai… Now all our hopes have been shattered,” he cried.
‘Only two constables came to take our details’
Asked if anyone from the administration had approached him so far, Ramji said, “Only two police constables came around and took down our details.”
Ramji’s next-door neighbour, Ramsheshwar Shahi said Shivanand had started earning by working at engineering workshops in Deoria city during his teenage years. “He was a very sincere man. He used to help his father in farming as well. The family was very happy when he managed to get a job on the ship… thinking their financial condition would get better now. All of us villagers are shocked to hear about his demise,” added Shahi.
District Magistrate (DM) of Deoria, Madhusudan Hulgi, told The Indian Express, “We are in touch with the family and have been coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs through the state government regarding the body of the deceased. We will be helping the family in all terms.”
Shivanand was among three Indian seafarers who were killed after an attack by US forces on the ship off the coast of Oman on June 9 amid the ongoing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.(Image enhanced using AI) 
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