Four Indian seafarers were killed in missile attack on their cargo ship in the port of Odessa, Ukraine, targeted by Russian military.
The incident took place late on Monday evening 0n 20th of July 2026.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement, said four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalised in a critical condition.
The MEA said that at the time of the incident, there were 17 crew members on board, including 5 Indian nationals, as per information available.
India has reiterated that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce is deplorable and should be avoided.
The MEA statement added that Indian Mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to extend all possible assistance to those affected.
The Government of India extended deepest condolences to the families of the deceased Indian nationals and wished them speedy and full recovery.
Ukrainian officials said the ship was struck by Russian cruise missiles, in what they called the deadliest attack in a weeks-long flare-up of violence in the Black Sea.
According to local media reports quoting Ukraine’s navy sources, Russian missiles hit the Golden Leo, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship, carrying corn.
The commercial ship was manned by a crew from India and Syria.
Ukraine’s seaports authority said a search and rescue operation continued throughout night, with nine crew members and one maritime pilot killed, eight seafarers of the vessel’s 17 crew members were rescued.
This vessel is owned by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd.
