A 22-year-old merchant navy cadet from India has gone missing off the coast of Sri Lanka while serving aboard an oil tanker, his family confirmed on Saturday.

Karandeep Singh Rana disappeared on September 20 during the vessel’s voyage from Iraq to China, with a planned stop near Sri Lanka, according to his father, Narendra Singh Rana. 

Karandeep had left Dehradun on August 18 and travelled to Singapore, where he boarded the tanker bound for Iraq. From there, the ship set sail towards China via Sri Lanka.

Narendra, a resident of Dehradun’s Patel Nagar area, explained that the family was informed by the Mumbai office of Executive Ship Management (ESM) at around 9.30 pm on September 20 that Karandeep had gone missing despite extensive searches.

“We were shocked to hear this because we had spoken to him that afternoon and he was perfectly fine,” he told PTI.

After further inquiries, company officials told the family that Karandeep had gone to the deck alone and had not been found since.

Since receiving the news, Narendra said the family has been appealing for assistance through various channels, including the Chief Minister’s Portal, state government officials, and the Ministry of External Affairs. He also met with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday to seek his support in the search.

Karandeep had long aspired to join the Merchant Navy and was due to be promoted to Third Officer.

Source: PTI

--Agencies