Kerala rallies to bring home sailor killed in Ukraine strike

Kasargod (Kerala), July 21 (IANS) The small house at AKG Nagar in Vellarikundu, Kerala, has fallen silent.

Every knock on the door now brings neighbours, relatives and officials offering words of comfort, but none can fill the void left by the death of Merchant Navy officer Akhil Joy, who was killed in a Russian attack on a cargo vessel off the Ukrainian coast.

On Tuesday, District Collector Arjun Pandyan visited the bereaved family, meeting Akhil’s parents, Joel and Sally, and assured them that every effort was being made to bring their son’s mortal remains home at the earliest.

The Collector said the Ministry of External Affairs had officially confirmed Akhil’s death and that the Kerala Government, in coordination with NORKA and the Indian Embassy, was working to complete the formalities for the repatriation of the body.

He also assured the family that all information received from Indian diplomatic authorities would be conveyed to them without delay and that the district administration would ensure they received every assistance and benefit due from the state.

The tragedy has also reached the highest levels of the government.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who is in New Delhi on Tuesday, has personally taken up the matter with the Centre, urging the Ministry of External Affairs to expedite the process of bringing Akhil’s body back to Kerala.

The Chief Minister’s intervention comes amid efforts by the State Government to coordinate with the Indian Embassy and other central agencies to complete the necessary diplomatic and logistical procedures.

For Akhil’s family, however, official assurances can only ease one part of their grief. They now await the return of the young sailor who had left home to earn a livelihood at sea, only to become an unintended victim of a war thousands of kms away.

His wedding was fixed for next year, and he was recently at his home here.

As the conflict in Eastern Europe continues to claim lives far beyond the battlefield, Akhil’s death has brought home the hidden risks faced by Indian Merchant Navy personnel working on international shipping routes through conflict zones.

For now, a grieving family waits, not for answers, but for the final journey that will bring their son home.

–IANS

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