The body of an Indian sailor who went missing after his ship was attacked off the coast of Oman has been recovered, a seafarers' union official said Wednesday. Heramb Karmarkar, a 30-year-old marine engineer from the western Indian city of Pune, had been missing since Sunday's attack on the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy. "I got a call Tuesday evening from the company the ship belonged to informing me that Heramb Karmarkar's body has been found by the Omani coast guard," Manoj Yadav, of the Forward Seamen's Union of India, told AFP. "This was almost 60 hours after we first received news that he was missing." The other 23 crew members -- including 10 Indian nationals -- were rescued Sunday. The US Central Command said the ship had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, accusing Tehran of attacking it. India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to officials. On Tuesday, the Indian foreign ministry said attacks on commercial shipping in the region were "deeply worrisome". "The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end," it said. The attack came as Tehran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbors in retaliation for US strikes. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route through which about a fifth of the world's oil passed before the war broke out on February 28, is a major point of contention between the United States and Iran.
