He showed family his ship on video call. 30 minutes later, missile struck

Another Indian seafarer killed.
Wiper Suraj Yadav of Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, is dead after MV Cape Dao was attacked today while sailing toward India.
28 crew on board, 20 of them Indian.
Two torpedoes: • Port side C-deck (accommodation) • Port side hull (engine room)
Assurances… pic.twitter.com/AvrD2p1Cwd

— FSUI (@FSUIINDIA) September 23, 2026

“Everyone in the house was thrilled to see the ship. Suraj was the first person from our family, and indeed the whole village, to ever travel on a commercial vessel. Our neighbours had gathered too, watching as he showed us around,” said Suraj’s uncle, Awadhesh Yadav, 37, who runs an institute in Deoria.

“We were stunned to learn that the incident had occurred just after our call ended.”

Awadhesh said senior officials from the Mumbai-based shipping company broke the news to the family. “They said on Wednesday, around 1.30 pm, the ship’s staff were alerted to an incoming missile, following which they jumped into the sea. There were 28 people aboard the ship. A portion of the vessel was damaged in the blast and the debris struck Suraj’s head, killing him.”

Suraj’s father, Om Prakash Yadav, has been working as an electrician in Kuwait for the past three months. Suraj was the eldest of three brothers and was unmarried. His two younger brothers, aged 12 and 9, live with their mother in Karmajeetpur village.

The family said it was his first job and his very first trip aboard a commercial vessel — he had joined the ship on August 19.

He was a wiper, responsible for cleaning the engine spaces and machinery of a ship and assisting the ship’s engineers as directed.

“Suraj was keen on joining the merchant navy. So after school, we got him admitted to a General Purpose (GP) Rating course which he completed in January this year. He joined the ship from Oman last month, and from there travelled to Dubai and then Berlin. The ship was heading back to Surat when the incident occurred,” the uncle added.

The family is making efforts to bring his body back home.

In a post on X, The Indian Embassy in Oman said the merchant vessel, MV Cape Dao, came under attack while transiting towards India on Wednesday.

Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said all surviving crew members, including the 19 Indian nationals, have been safely evacuated by the Royal Navy of Oman and are currently ashore.

“The government will ensure that the mortal remains of Suraj Yadav are brought home with full dignity, and every possible support is extended to his next of kin,” Sonowal said on X.

The latest death comes months after another seafarer from Deoria, Shivanand Chaurasia, was killed in an attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello off the Oman coast in June.

Following attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in July, the Centre reviewed the safety of Indian seafarers working in conflict-sensitive regions. A high-level review chaired by Sonowal launched the ‘Seafarer-First’ initiative to protect Indian sailors in conflict zones like the Strait of Hormuz.