Kottayam: A nurse from Kerala, southern India, working in Libya and her son were killed when a shell hit their residence.
The incident occurred March 25 night in Sabratha, a northwestern city of Libya, about 65 km west of Tripoli, the national capital.
The nurse identified as Sunu and her 18-month-old son Pranav were home when the shell landed in their apartment complex. Her husband Vipin was outside.
According to reports reaching Sunu’s house at Veliyannur in Kottayam district of Kerala, the shell attack killed a few others also who resided in the same complex. Sunu and Vipin, who is also a nurse, reached Libya after their marriage in 2012.
As the internal strife in Libya that began five years ago worsened, Vipin and Sunu planned to return to India in April. They were waiting to finalize the papers and receive salaries when the tragedy occurred.
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the deaths and implored people to move out of conflict zones. The office of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told media persons that his government is making efforts to reach out to people in Libya to find out the latest situation.