Sailor dies of suspected electrocution

Marine engineer from Mumbai was fixing a light bulb aboard ship in Dubai, family told

Dubai Police are investigating the death of an Indian sailor who died of suspected electrocution aboard a ship docked in Dubai.

Himanshu Sanghvi, 31, who hailed from Mumbai, died on Saturday night aboard the container ship MSC Samantha, which docked at Port Rashid earlier this month. Dr Priya Belokar, a cousin of his wife Pooja, told Gulf News that his parents were informed by the company that he was electrocuted.

“Apparently he was trying to fix an electric bulb and was electrocuted. This is what they informed me,” said Dr Priya, a dentist who lives in Dubai.

She pointed out that Sanghvi was a marine engineer, not an electrical engineer.

Lt Col Saeed Al Madhani, deputy director of Port Police Station, told Gulf News that they were alerted about an incident of death on a ship on Saturday and they suspected it was due to electrical shock.

“An Indian sailor passed away and we are investigating the case. We are checking the electric circuit in the ship as we suspect electric shock being the reason of death. We are also waiting for the forensic report before handing over the body to his family,” Lt Col Al Madhani told Gulf News.

Suhaas, another relative of Pooja, tweeted about Himanshu’s death and sought the help of Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Sunday. The Indian Consulate in Dubai then offered to support the family.

“We’ve spoken to the local police authorities as well as his friends, colleagues and relatives. We’ll extend all assistance. The forensic and investigation formalities are expected to take at least a few days. We’ll continue to follow up,” the mission replied yesterday, tagging the minister’s additional private secretary Vijay Dwivedi.

The mission also said it would provide assistance to repatriate Sanghvi’s body.