In a quiet home in Mahaveer Nagar, Kandivali West, a grieving father is waiting for answers. Amratlal Solanki, whose son Dixit is feared to have died in an explosion on an oil tanker amid escalating tensions in West Asia, says he will not accept the tragedy until his son’s body is found.
Dixit Solanki, 32, was working aboard the oil tanker MKD Vyom when an explosion struck the vessel on March 1 near the coast of Muscat Governorate in the Persian Gulf region during the ongoing conflict involving Iran and Israel.
Father refuses to perform last rites
At the family’s residence, a framed photograph of Dixit rests on a small stool covered with a red cloth. But unlike traditional mourning rituals, his father has not garlanded the photo.
The reason, he says, is simple: the body has not been recovered.
“So far, I don’t have a clear picture of my son’s body. From the beginning I have received conflicting information,” Amratlal said.
The 64-year-old father said he was initially informed by officials from the shipping company that Dixit had stopped breathing after the explosion in the vessel’s engine room.
Later, he received another message stating that his son had died and that the body would soon be sent home.
Conflicting information about recovery efforts
Days after the incident, the family says they still have no clarity on whether the body has been recovered.
Amratlal met some of the crew members who safely returned to India after the attack. According to him, their explanations about attempts to retrieve Dixit’s body remained unclear.
“When a blast has shattered an iron vessel, how will a human body remain intact?” he asked.
The tanker was reportedly struck by an unmanned vessel about 52 nautical miles from Oman’s coast, triggering a fire and explosion inside the engine room.
Shipping company confirms death
The vessel is managed by V. Ships Asia, which confirmed that Dixit Solanki died during the incident while working in the engine room.
The company said the remaining 21 crew members, including Indian, Ukrainian and Bangladeshi nationals, were rescued and safely brought ashore in Oman.
According to the company, tugboats reached the tanker the following day and managed to extinguish the fire.
Family waits for closure
Dixit belonged to the Kharwa community, a traditional seafaring community from Gujarat. He had been working at sea for nearly eight years.
The tragedy comes months after the death of his mother, who had been undergoing dialysis for several years. Dixit had last visited home for her funeral.
Before the incident, he had sent a message to his family warning of a “war-like situation” at sea before beginning his shift in the engine room.
Despite condolences from several quarters, including officials and maritime authorities, his father says only one thing will bring closure.
“All I want is to perform my son’s last rites so that his soul can rest in peace,” he said.