At least two Indian seafarers of the three who had gone missing after the attack on the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman have been confirmed dead, a government official told HT on Thursday. The vessel was carrying 24 Indian crew members when it was struck in a United States strike earlier this week.A visual of the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello, with 24 Indian seafarers on board, attacked by U.S. forces off the coast of Oman, near Strait of Hormuz, on Wednesday (June 10). (ANI video grab)Earlier, Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal had said in a post on X that all three Indian seafarers who were reported missing after the incident had been confirmed dead. Calling the development “deeply unfortunate”, he wrote, “Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after two bodies were recovered.” The minister later deleted the post from X. Describing the deaths as a “profound loss to our maritime family”, Sonowal said the Centre stood with the bereaved families and would provide all necessary assistance. “The Modi Govt stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin,” he added.The MT Settebello incident had sparked concern in India after 21 Indian crew members were rescued while three others were reported missing following the strike near the Oman coast. Indian authorities had been coordinating with Omani officials during the search operation.India summons senior US diplomatIndia on Wednesday strongly condemned the attack on the commercial vessel, which at the time had left three Indian crew members missing. The government also summoned the senior-most US diplomat in New Delhi to lodge a protest over the incident.In a statement, the ministry of external affairs said, “We condemn the attack on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, earlier today.” It added that of the 24 Indian crew members on board, “21 Indians have been rescued thus far and 03 Indians are reportedly missing”.Officials conveyed to the US side that attacks endangering the lives of Indian seafarers are unacceptable and raised concerns over the safety of Indian nationals working aboard commercial vessels in the region.