Pakistani Engineer Missing After Missile Attack on Cargo Ship

KARACHI: A Pakistani engineer has gone missing after a cargo ship came under a missile attack in the Gulf of Oman, with his family fearing that he may have been killed in the incident.

Hammad Obaida was among the crew members aboard the Panama-flagged cargo vessel MT Al Gaya when it was hit by a missile on September 13.

According to his brother, Fuad Obaida, the attack caused a fire in the ship’s engine room. Of the 25 people on board, 23 were rescued, while two remain missing, including Hammad.

Fuad said a Dubai-based shipping company informed the family about the incident but has not confirmed whether Hammad was killed or rescued.

He appealed to the Pakistani government to take steps to locate his brother and bring him back to Pakistan.

Hammad, a resident of Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi, was serving as a crew member of the cargo vessel.

According to the family, MT Al Gaya had departed from the coast of Oman on September 6 and was attacked seven days later in the Gulf of Oman.

Search efforts and further details regarding the two missing crew members were not immediately available.