The government has informed the family of Manjeet Singh, of Himachal Pradesh who died in Yemen in a bomb blast, that the formalities relating to bringing his body back home are on.
In an e-mail to the family, the ministry of external affairs on Sunday said: "Our control room in Djibouti has informed that paperwork and local formalities related to transportation of the body is expected to be completed on April 12."
After completion of the paperwork, arrangements to send the body by a commercial flight (perhaps Ethiopian Airways) would be made, it said.
"If not possible today (April 12) due to non-availability of the flight, then the body will be sent by AI (Air India) special flight by tomorrow (Monday). The control room has also deputed the fellow companion of the late Manjeet Singh, Amarjeet Singh, who is from Aden, to accompany the mortal remains," it said.
Manjeet Singh, who was working on merchant vessel Gulf Dove in Yemen, sustained shrapnel injuries in Aden harbour.
The victim's brother-in-law, Amit Thakur, said the body was sent from Aden to Djibouti by an Indian vessel, INS Tarkash.
Son of a former Indian Army officer, Manjeet Singh, the youngest of four siblings, belonged to Chamboh village in Bhoranj sub-division, some 25 km from district headquarters Hamirpur. He had been at sea for two months.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters -- one aged three years and the other just two months.