United States Central Command forces attacked the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman, killing three Indian sailors who were confirmed dead on June 11th.

The vessel carried 24 Indian crew. Twenty-one were rescued. Three were killed after the US military attacked the civilian ship. The India government has lodged what has been reported as a “strong protest,” summoned a senior U.S. diplomat, and the International Maritime Organization condemned the attack.

Who were the three men murdered by the US government?

Patnala Suresh, 44, served as Chief Engineer. He came from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, according to the Deccan Chronicle and ANI. He was married to Bhargavi, with two sons aged 13 and 10, and the couple was days from their 15th wedding anniversary on June 24th, ANI reported. He had been at sea nearly five months and had already received his relieving letter, waiting only for a replacement so he could go home. His widow appealed publicly for the return of his body.

“We were four; now we have become three,” she said, according to ANI.

Aditya Sharma, 23, served as Deck Cadet, the youngest of the three. He came from Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh and was training to become a licensed ship officer, the Sunday Guardian and Public TV English reported. He departed Dubai on November 27th, bound for China by way of Singapore. His father, Rajesh Sharma, recalled Aditya telling him the captain planned to enter the Gulf region, which left him uneasy, according to Public TV English.

“We read Aditya’s name in the list of the deceased. I am shocked and heartbroken,” his father said, the Sunday Guardian reported. The family asked the government to return his remains for final rites.

Shivanand Chaurasiya worked as an Engine Fitter. He came from Surauli village in Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh, according to ETV Bharat. He had two children and was the sole breadwinner; neighbors said he had struggled to find steady work but was slowly improving the family’s finances. He had been at sea roughly eight to nine months. His father, Ramji Chaurasiya, said they last spoke at 9 p.m. the night before the news came. “He said everything was fine,” his father said, according to ETV Bharat.

Why did American forces fire on a commercial tanker crewed by civilians? CENTCOM says the Settebello was targeted for attempting to carry Iranian oil in violation of the U.S. blockade, and that its engine room was fired on after the crew “repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces,” according to The Hill and CBS News.

The Settebello was not the only ship hit. A day later, U.S. forces fired on a second tanker, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MT Jalveer, also off Oman, according to Al Jazeera and The Week. India has confirmed the three deaths came from the Settebello incident.

Three families now wait for the bodies of their dead to be returned home.