Body of Indian sailor found after ship attack off Oman

The body of an Indian sailor who went missing after an attack on a ship off Oman has been recovered, a seafarers' union official said Wednesday.

Heramb Karmarkar, a 30-year-old marine engineer from Pune in western India, had been missing since Sunday's attack on the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy. Manoj Yadav, of the Forward Seamen's Union of India, said the ship's company told him Tuesday evening that the Omani coast guard had found Karmarkar's body. He said this was almost 60 hours after the first news that Karmarkar was missing.

The other 23 crew members were rescued on Sunday. They included 10 Indian nationals.

US Central Command said the ship had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, and accused Tehran of carrying out the attack.

India is one of the world's largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping. Officials cited in the report said the country had more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025.

On Tuesday, India's foreign ministry said attacks on commercial shipping in the region were deeply worrisome. It said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end.

The attack occurred as Tehran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at Gulf neighbours in retaliation for US strikes. The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping route. The report said about one fifth of the world's oil passed through it before a war broke out on February 28, and that it is a major point of contention between the United States and Iran.