Published Jun 11, 2026 | 8:45 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 11, 2026 | 9:16 PM
Oil tanker Settebello was attacked by US forces off the coast of Oman.
Synopsis: A wife and two kids left grieving and by themselves in Andhra Pradesh. A father and a grandfather left shattered in Himachal Pradesh. The Settebello tragedy has darkened many lives.
The human cost of the deaths of the three crew members of MT Settebello—the vessel hit by the US Air Force on 9 June—is emerging.
Patnala Suresh, the Chief Engineer of MT Settebello, whose death was confirmed on Thursday, 11 June, afternoon, leaves behind a wife and two young sons.
His wife stoically appeared before the cameras on Thursday and recounted how she learnt of the disappearance of Suresh when a text landed saying, “Sorry for the inconvenience. A drone attack happened on the ship in which your husband is missing.”
Bhargavi, based in Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, told the Press Trust of India how she went on to contact the superintendent of the Dubai Police Force and also searched online to learn more about the efforts underway to bring back her husband. When night fell, she thought the “rescue operation might not be possible at that time” and waited.
But as soon as morning arrived, she began scouring for information again and putting pressure on the people who were undertaking the rescue mission. Sadly, at 1 pm, she learnt that her husband was no more.
“From my side, I kept putting pressure on them, and from their side, they also did their work. Now, I have told them to kindly do whatever is necessary next, contact the embassy and complete the formalities as early as possible,” Bhargavi told PTI.
Her two young boys, sitting beside Bhargavi as she made her request to the authorities, drove home the poignance of their loss further.
VIDEO | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: Bhargavi, wife of Chief Engineer Patnala Suresh, who died after a vessel attack off the Oman coast, says, “Last night, they called and texted me, saying, ‘Sorry for the inconvenience. A drone attack happened on the ship in which your husband… pic.twitter.com/7R4cySRpEs
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 11, 2026
In distant Himachal Pradesh, the grandfather of Aditya Sharma, the 23-year-old deck cadet on Settebello, who also lost his life, demanded answers.
“We want to know the full truth of what happened. I will request the government to conduct a complete investigation and ensure that whoever is responsible is given the strictest possible punishment. Our hearts are shattered,” he told PTI.
Aditya’s father, Rajesh Sharma, told the TV channel CNN-News18 that it was only “last month that he told me he was going to Oman. He told me a day later that the captain is planning to enter the Gulf. So, I got anxious, and now my worst fears have come true.”
The US Central Command, in a statement on Thursday, defended its recent attacks on three commercial ships, including the MT Settebello.
In the statement, CENTCOM said that it had, in all, “disabled nine non-compliant vessels, redirected 135 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass” since the beginning of the US-imposed blockade on April 13.
“The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM went on to state.
But Manoj Yadav, general secretary of Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), questioned CENTCOM’s claims while talking to Sputnik India. He insisted the ships were anchored and said the US forces had given no warning before opening fire. He also said CENTCOM knew that the vessels had crew from India and yet went ahead.
