20-year-old Haryana merchant navy seaman goes missing off Ukraine coast, family seeks answers

New Delhi: A 20-year-old merchant navy seaman from Haryana has gone missing after he was reportedly believed to have fallen overboard from a Portuguese-flagged vessel off the coast of Ukraine, prompting his family to seek an investigation and intervention from the Centre.

Deepak Duddi, a resident of Jhanjhra Bass village in Haryana's Bhiwani district, was reported missing on July 2 while on duty aboard the vessel near Odesa, according to an email sent by the Turkish company that owns the ship. His family received the communication on July 5, followed by a phone call informing them about the incident.

According to the company, Deepak was last seen on duty before a crew member noticed his absence. The vessel's captain declared a "man overboard" emergency, sounded the general alarm and initiated search procedures. Ukrainian maritime authorities were informed, and search and rescue operations were launched with the help of nearby rescue boats. The search was later suspended after nightfall because of poor visibility, the company said.


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Deepak had spoken to his family over a video call at around 3.30 pm on July 2, telling them that everything was fine.

The family said it has repeatedly contacted the shipping company for more information but has not received any clear explanation about the circumstances of his disappearance.

"We have been reaching out to the company, seeking details about Deepak, but have not received any concrete information," his cousin Birender, a Delhi Police constable, told The Times of India.

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According to his uncle Ram Niwas Duddi, Deepak had been working in the merchant navy for around nine and a half months and joined the current vessel on March 20 under a nine-month contract. He regularly sent money home and was expected to return to Haryana in December.

"He was the family's main breadwinner and had big dreams. He was to return to our village this December. We hope the authorities will help us find out what happened to him," Ram Niwas said.

The family has approached Bhiwani-Mahendragarh MP Dharambir Singh, who has written to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking its intervention. In his letter, the MP urged the ministry to coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Ukraine and relevant foreign authorities to intensify search efforts, seek an independent inquiry, preserve onboard evidence, including CCTV footage, voyage records and crew statements, and keep the family informed about the investigation.

Meanwhile, Deepak's brother has travelled to Mumbai with a relative to meet officials of the company through which he joined the vessel and seek further information about the case.

(With inputs from TOI)