Vessel Carrying Four Indians Hit At Ukraine's Odesa Port; Two Safe, Two Unaccounted
The incident took place on Saturday when MV AGN Ragnar was hit at the Port of Odesa, a major Black Sea port in Ukraine that has faced repeated attacks since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022. The embassy said it is closely monitoring developments. There was no immediate information on who carried out the strike, the circumstances of the attack or the total number of crew members on board.
Vessel Carrying Four Indians Hit At Ukraine's Odesa Port; Two Safe, Two Unaccounted |
A merchant vessel carrying four Indian nationals was struck at Ukraine's Odesa port, with two of them confirmed safe while the status of the remaining two is yet to be ascertained, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv said on Sunday.
The incident took place on Saturday when MV AGN Ragnar was hit at the Port of Odesa, a major Black Sea port in Ukraine that has faced repeated attacks since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022.
The embassy said it is closely monitoring developments. There was no immediate information on who carried out the strike, the circumstances of the attack or the total number of crew members on board.
"Embassy of India in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation following the incident involving MV AGN Ragnar, which was struck at the Port of Odesa on July 25," it said.
Four Indian nationals were aboard the vessel at the time of the attack, the embassy said.
"As per the latest information, two have been confirmed safe, and information is awaited regarding the other two nationals," it said.
The identities of the four Indians and the nature of their duties on the vessel were not immediately known.
Search operations under way
The embassy said search and rescue operations are under way and that it is in constant contact with the concerned authorities to determine the status of the two unaccounted Indian nationals and provide all possible assistance.
The security situation in the Black Sea and nearby maritime areas continues to remain highly volatile because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Commercial vessels operating in or passing through the region face serious risks, including missile and drone attacks.
MEA issues fresh advisory
In an advisory issued on Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Since April, there has been an increase in the number of such incidents on commercial vessels, which has also resulted in the loss of 5 Indian lives."
Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port, has remained a frequent target of missile and drone strikes.
India has repeatedly advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Ukraine because of the security situation and has continued to provide consular assistance to Indian nationals in the country since the conflict began.
The advisory also urged Indian nationals planning to take up employment on commercial vessels operating in or transiting the conflict-affected region to carefully assess the prevailing security risks before accepting such assignments.
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