Keralite nurse, toddler killed in Libya bombing

A Keralite nurse working in Libya and her one-and-half-year-old son have been killed in a bomb blast in the ongoing civil strife in that country, her family said on Saturday.

Sunu Sathyan and the toddler were sleeping in their house when it was rocked by an explosion, killing them on Friday, her father Sathyan Nair, hailing from Kondadu in Kottayam district, said.

The victim was working as a nurse in Zawia Medical centre AZ Zawiya, Libya. Her husband Vipin Kumar, who is a male nurse in Libya, was away on duty.

Nair has sought government help to bring back the bodies.

“Yesterday, I got the information through phone that my daughter and her one-and-a-half-year-old baby died in a bomb blast at her residence while they were sleeping,” he said in his letter to the government.

He said he got only this much information from her fellow employees and relatives.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she has sought details from Indian embassy in the violence-hit country.

“I have asked for a report reg (regarding) the death of an Indian nurse and her child from our Ambassador in Libya,” Swaraj tweeted.

Nair, in his letter through Kaduthuruthy MLA Mons Joseph, sought help to bring back the bodies of his daughter and grandson.

‘I came to know that the blast occurred due to regular fights between the rival groups in Libya. So I humbly request your good self to make available the detailed information about the incident and help us bring back the dead body of my beloved daughter and her son, whom we have never seen,’ he wrote.

‘I also request you to extend all help and protection to her husband, who is in a state of shock after the blast,’ Nair said.

When contacted, Kerala Information and Public Relations Minister K C Joseph said the state government has informed the external affairs ministry about the matter.

Meanwhile, state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said eight to nine people are stranded in Libya and efforts are on to bring them back.

“Kerala government is alert on this issue. We are in touch with the MEA and the Embassy in Libya. We are trying to evacuate all the people who are stranded there,” Chennithala said.

Image used for representative purpose only.