A pall of gloom descended on Karmel village under Gauri Bazar police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district after its 22-year-old native Abhishek Nishad, a sailor, was killed in a Russian missile strike near the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Sunday.
Nishad was among four Indian seafarers killed in the missile attack on a Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship, which claimed 10 lives, including Indian and Syrian crew members, making it one of the deadliest recent attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
The bereaved family has appealed to the Centre to facilitate the return of Abhishek’s mortal remains to India. His father Kaushal Nishad, 50, said the family was informed of his death by the shipping company.
“On June 9, Abhishek left for his first overseas assignment. He flew to Türkiye via Mumbai to join the vessel,” Kaushal Nishad said. “Everyone in our family and neighbourhood was proud that one of our boys had secured a job abroad. We never imagined it would end in such a tragedy,” he added.
Village head Jitendra Bahadur said it was Abhishek’s first assignment as a deck cadet. The family had celebrated his departure on June 10. He said Abhishek’s two unmarried sisters are pursuing higher education in Deoria, while his father runs a shop and serves as a BJP booth president.
{{/usCountry}}Village head Jitendra Bahadur said it was Abhishek’s first assignment as a deck cadet. The family had celebrated his departure on June 10. He said Abhishek’s two unmarried sisters are pursuing higher education in Deoria, while his father runs a shop and serves as a BJP booth president.
{{/usCountry}}Abhishek, the second of three children of Kaushal Nishad and Anita Devi, 45, a homemaker, was the first member of his family to secure employment abroad. His younger sisters, Sadhna and Aradhna, are pursuing postgraduate and undergraduate studies, respectively. He was unmarried, the village head said.
Raj Kumar Gupta, SDM, Gauri Bazar, said the administration received information about the incident through the village head and is in contact with the family. “We are awaiting instructions from the ministry of external affairs. All possible assistance will be provided to the bereaved family,” the SDM said.