Unnao (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 11 : A merchant navy sailor from Unnao, Shivendra Kumar Chaurasia, on Friday shared his experience of being caught in the crossfire amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, describing repeated explosions, fear at sea, and uncertainty during his return journey.
Speaking to ANI, Chaurasia said he has been working on ships since 2014 and had recently joined a vessel in December when the situation in the region escalated.
"My name is Shivendra Kumar Chaurasia. The whole matter was that I have been working on ships since 2014. And we had joined recently in December and went back to the ship. There was never such a problem in my life; I got stuck for the first time," he said.
He recalled that explosions began near their vessel on February 28, with the first major blast occurring on March 3, triggering panic among the crew and immediate communication with the shipping company.
"The captain said if any such problem arises, we will lift the anchor from here and take our ship to a safe place. On February 28, the explosions started. But the first explosion happened near our ship on March 3rd. That's when we got scared. We talked to the company. The company also said we'll take you to a safe place. Now, whatever happened between the captain and the company, after that, the captain said okay, now we'll mail DG Shipping and provide a small video. So we, the captain himself, made the video, and we recorded ourselves and gave it to DG Shipping for safety. Everyone was afraid of this, just wanting to escape from that situation. At that time, it was just that someone should help us," he added.
Chaurasia said constant explosions created extreme anxiety onboard, affecting sleep and forcing crew members to continuously monitor news updates in the hope of a ceasefire.
"Explosions were happening in such a way that initially, it was difficult to even sleep. I mean, there was this constant panic about when we would get out of here. And we were watching the news every day. And our company was very good; they had provided us with internet. We checked the news daily on Google, hoping the war would end or there'd be a ceasefire. It would have been good," he said.
On asking, Why do you have to go there? He replied," It depends on the country, carrying goods from one country to another. Our ship was a bulk carrier, so obviously, we load limestone or zinc or iron ore, whatever comes in bulk, and carry it from one country to another."
"The conditions where we were, I think they were very bad. And there are other brothers of ours stuck on ships there, where there is no internet and no food. I pray, sir, that the war ends and those people also get out safely. Being with the family, this is the best thing about my company. And I pray for the company to provide us with Wi-Fi continuously, so that we can stay in touch with the family," he added.
He further stated, "I cannot speak about this war because sometimes there is a ceasefire, and then it starts again. If there was a ceasefire in the afternoon, there was an explosion in the evening. I saw at least four ships sinking. One ship sank right in front of my eyes. The Iranian Navy attacked a warship, and they were taking it away. A tugboat came to take it, and they hit that, too. So, two ships sank right in front of my eyes. As for how many explosions happened, there is no count. Even today, my head feels very light from hearing the explosions."