NEW DELHI, July 20: India has strongly condemned the attack on a ship killing 4 Indian nationals and critically injuring another while it was leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Sunday evening.
“Four Indian nationals have lost their lives and another is in a critical condition after their ship came under attack while leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa the evening of 19 July,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. The ship, MV Golden Leo, had 17 crew members on board at the time of the attack of whom 9 were killed including four Indian nationals.
“Our Mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to extend all possible assistance to those affected,” the ministry said, extending condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wishing the injured crew member a full recovery.
India strongly condemned the attack, saying targeting commercial shipping and endangering civilian crew, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and trade, was “deplorable and should be avoided.” Ukrainian officials said the ship was struck by Russian cruise missiles, in what they called the deadliest attack in a weeks-long flare-up of violence in the Black Sea.
According to Ukraine’s navy, Russia hit the Golden Leo, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship carrying corn and manned by a crew from India and Syria, with three cruise missiles, causing a fire. Ukraine’s seaports authority said a search and rescue operation ran through the night, with nine crew members and one maritime pilot killed. Eight of the vessel’s 17 crew members were rescued.
The ship had 17 crew on board at the time of the attack, including five Indian nationals. It is owned by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd, according to LSEG data. Ukraine’s governor for the Odessa region said the Russian strikes have killed 28 people there so far this month. Separately, a Ukrainian drone strike on a bus in Russia’s Belgorod region killed five people, including a child, on Monday, while Russian strikes on several Ukrainian cities left at least eight dead. Both sides have intensified attacks in recent weeks.
(Rohit Kumar)
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