SHARJAH // The body of 23-year-old Amit Yadav, one of seven sailors who died when their petrol tanker hit a breakwater and sank off Al Hamriya coast has been laid to rest in his hometown of Phulpur, India.
“The body was handed over to the family. It was escorted by a gentleman from the Sharjah Indian association on Saturday,” said Vivek Yadav, a cousin from Mau, in Uttar Pradesh.
“The family are still mourning their son, they still can’t fathom that he has died. The mother was taken to hospital after she heard her son died.”
It was the sailor’s second voyage since beginning work about 10 months ago.
According to the cousin, the family borrowed money from relatives so that Yadav could go abroad to work and support them.
“The family had high hopes that he will be supporting them financially but now he is dead. The family are waiting for the company to send over six months’ worth of backpay, along with money from the insurance company. The money will help the poor family to move on and repay the debts they already took,” said Mr Yadav.
Meanwhile, two ships that ran aground during the rough weather that caused the petrol tanker to crash two weeks ago are set to be tugged to deep waters late on Sunday.
“We have completed more than 80 per cent of the work needed to refloat the two ships, one on Al Hira beach and the other on Al Hamriya,” said Hysham Shaikh, director of Intershipping, an Ajman company coordinating the work.
Five vessels were washed up on the coasts of Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain earlier this month during rough weather.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
