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Kasaragod District Collector Arjun Pandian on Tuesday said that there was no clarity on how many days it will take to bring back the mortal remains of 26-year-old Merchant Navy officer Akhil Joyan, who was among four Indian seafarers killed in a missile strike on the commercial cargo vessel MV Golden Leo off Ukraine's Odesa coast.
Speaking to reporters, Pandian said the district administration is coordinating with the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) Department, the Indian Embassy and other authorities to bring Joyan's body back to Keralam at the earliest. "We are coordinating with the NORKA department and embassy to bring back the body of Akhil Joyan as early as possible. So we are in touch with them. The government will take all the necessary actions to bring back his body. The government will bear all the expenses and will be coordinating everything. We didn't get the correct information on how many days it will take. But we are taking all the necessary action to bring it back as early as possible," Pandian said. Visuals from Joyan's residence in Kasaragod's Vellarikkundu showed grieving family members and relatives gathering to mourn the young officer, whose death has sent shockwaves through the local community. Meanwhile, four Indian nationals have been killed in an attack in Ukraine on Sunday evening, while one is critically injured. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the death toll in an official statement, noting that at the time of the incident, the vessel had 17 crew members on board, including 5 Indians. "On the evening of 19 July 2026, the vessel MV GOLDEN LEO was attacked while departing the port of Odesa. At the time of the incident, there were 17 crew members on board, including 5 Indian nationals. As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition," the MEA stated earlier. The MEA expressed condolences to the bereaved families and stated that India's mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation while assuring assistance to all those affected.(ANI)
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