Vizag Marine Engineer Suresh Patnala Killed Us Strike Mt Settebello Oman

In her last conversation with her husband, Suresh Patnala, Bhargavi Suresh told him, “Please be careful.” He replied, “I am careful.” This was on June 9. Two days later, Bhargavi woke up to the news that Patnala had gone missing off the coast of Oman.

The 44-year-old marine engineer from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, was among the three Indian crew members who died in a United States military strike on a commercial vessel, on MT Settebello, off the Oman coast on June 9.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bhargavi, 39, said, “I have two young children who are 10 and 13. Who will now look after them? I am a homemaker. I can’t go to work. How will I bring them up?”

In their last conversation, Patnala had spoken about the “growing tension” in the region. “He was aware that there had been other attacks which had killed people around him. He was hopeful that he would come back,” Bhargavi said.

Her husband’s salary was the family’s sole source of income, she said. “I worked for six years in a private company before I decided to marry and have children. I cannot find a job. The company which took him there should pay for the education of my children,” she said, adding through tears: “A good education is necessary.”

She said her husband had been a marine engineer for 15 years. “It was his passion. I can only take comfort in the fact that he was doing the job he loved.”

Patnala graduated from the the Visakha Institute of Engineering and Technology before studying marine engineering. He was due to return to Mumbai and then travel to Visakhapatnam to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary with his wife on June 24.

She said that on Wednesday night, she received a text message from a crew member saying that the ship had been attacked, there was a major fire on board, and that her husband and two others were missing.

“I hoped against hope that my husband would be found alive and spent the night calling his office in Dubai and elsewhere, but nobody had any information. I think everybody else knew except me, because they cannot confirm anything until a body is recovered as per their rules,” she said.

“Late at night, I came to know that there was a rescue mission, and I still held on to hope. This afternoon, I came to know that the bodies of the three men had been recovered. I request the Centre to step in and repatriate his body as soon as possible,” she said.

Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism. Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting. Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read More

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More