Five Bangladeshi sailors, survivors of a harrowing missile attack in the Arabian Sea, are expected to receive their emergency travel documents by Monday, April 13, clearing the path for their return home.
Officials from the Bangladesh Embassy in Pakistan met with the crew members of the Panamanian-flagged vessel, MV Gold Autumn, in Karachi on Sunday to facilitate their repatriation.
Omar Faruk, an official from the Bangladesh Embassy’s visa section, confirmed the meeting to Times of Bangladesh. Accompanied by colleague Abu Sayeed, Faruk traveled from Islamabad to Karachi to coordinate with the sailors.
“We met the five sailors on Sunday and assured them of the embassy’s full cooperation,” Faruk stated. “Travel passes will be issued on Monday, which will allow them to begin their journey back to Bangladesh immediately.”
Ehsan Sabri Rihad, a sailor hailing from Cox’s Bazar, expressed the group’s urgency to return: “We sought the embassy’s help to get home. The officials have assured us that the paperwork will be completed tomorrow. We just want to be back with our families as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, as the missile attack caused a fire to break out on the ship, the sailors were unable to retrieve their essential documents, including their passports and CDCs. Consequently, the sailors stated that they require travel passes from the Bangladesh Embassy to return home.
The incident occurred on April 7 at around 11:30am (local time), when MV Gold Autumn—en route from Shanghai, China, to Sohar Port in Oman—came under missile attack in the Arabian Sea. At the time, the vessel was approximately 200 nautical miles from its destination. The ship had a total of 22 crew members, including six Bangladeshis.
Following the attack, a passing vessel, MV Yunich, initially responded and assisted in rescue efforts around 8:30pm, nearly seven hours after the incident. Subsequently, the ship’s management company sought assistance through the Pakistani authorities.
The Pakistan Navy became aware of the situation around 1:00am and launched a rescue operation. By Wetnesday moring around 8:00am, naval ship PNS Hunain reached the incident area and rescued 14 out of the 18 crew members who had abandoned the vessel.
As the damaged ship did not sink immediately, four crew members, including the captain, remained on board. Among them was Bangladeshi sailor Mazharul Abedin Shawon.
