Second Indian sailor killed in three days: Heramb Karmarkar, 30, dies after GFS Galaxy attack

Heramb Karmarkar, a 30-year-old Indian marine engineer, has died after going missing when the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy was struck off the coast of Oman on Sunday. His father-in-law, Vivek Tandon, told Reuters on Wednesday that the company operating the vessel had confirmed the death. India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Karmarkar was aboard the Cyprus-flagged container ship, which had a 24-member crew including 11 Indians. Cyprus authorities described the vessel as having been hit by an "unidentified projectile." Iran said it had struck the ship after it attempted to pass through an unauthorised route despite repeated warnings to change course.

The second Indian killed in three days

Karmarkar's death is the second such loss in the region within 72 hours. Another Indian seafarer was killed on Tuesday after two vessels were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Following that incident, New Delhi lodged a strong protest with Iran and summoned its deputy ambassador.

Tehran has said it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities with Washington reignited last week. US President Donald Trump has maintained that the waterway is open to all shipping traffic except Iran's.

India's response

The central government moved quickly on Wednesday, announcing a set of measures to monitor Indian seafarers operating in the Strait of Hormuz and support the families of those killed or injured. The decisions came out of an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, convened after the fresh attacks on two oil tankers carrying Indian crew.

The measures include an operational dashboard to track every Indian seafarer on every vessel regardless of its flag, and the appointment of a dedicated liaison officer for each affected family. The government said its response would remain "seafarer-first" as the security situation across West Asia continues to worsen.

The Centre's response was also triggered by the attacks on the UAE-flagged vessels MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa in the Strait of Hormuz, which together had 30 Indian seafarers among a combined crew of 46.