New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) India on Friday said it is in touch with the families of the two Indian nationals who remain missing after the recent attack on the MV AGN Ragnar vessel at Ukraine’s Port of Odessa and is extending all possible assistance to them.
Addressing the bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that search and rescue operations are underway on both the Ukrainian and Romanian sides, with New Delhi maintaining close coordination with the authorities of both countries in the hope of locating the missing crew members.
“MV AGN Ragnar, this particular ship came under attack on 25th July as it was leaving Odessa port. There were four Indians on board the ship as part of the crew. Two of them are safe, as I informed you earlier. Two of them are missing. The search and rescue operations have been carried out both on the Ukrainian side and also on the Romanian side. We remain in close touch with both the Ukrainian side and the Romanian side to see if we can get some results. We have also been in touch with the family members of the two Indian nationals who are missing, and we are offering all possible support to them,” said Jaiswal.
On Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine said that four Indian nationals were on board the MV AGN Ragnar vessel when it was struck at the Port of Odessa on July 25. While two of them were confirmed safe, information about the other two Indian nationals was awaited, it informed.
The embassy said that search and rescue operations were conducted and it remained in contact with the concerned authorities.
“Embassy of India in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation following the incident involving MV AGN Ragnar which was struck at the Port of Odessa, on 25 July. Four Indian nationals were on board the vessel. As per the latest information, two have been confirmed safe, and information is awaited regarding the other two nationals. Search and rescue operations are underway. The Embassy is in constant touch with the concerned authorities,” the Indian Embassy in Ukraine mentioned in a statement released on X.
This incident came days after an Indian national lost his life in an attack on a commercial vessel while transiting the Black Sea, reportedly in Russian territorial waters.
–IANS
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