It's a miracle we survived': the civilian crew trapped on a ship in Ukraine as bombs rained down

"On the night of 16 July last year, Gaurav Joshi, one of the crew working on a cargo ship stranded at a port in southern Ukraine, was on patrol. The crew of the MT Nathan had found themselves abandoned in a war zone for the past three months after a dispute between the ship's owners. It had been a rough few months for Joshi and the 14 other crew, who came from India, Egypt and Turkey."

"At about 1.30am, I came downstairs to get some coffee, and that's when I felt it like intense air pressure, says Joshi. A Russian drone had exploded very close to their vessel. I heard the sounds first, he says, describing the noise of an approaching drone, akin to the buzzing of a large motor. And then a loud and heavy explosion with the pressure of a vacuum and then I saw the light. Joshi says the impact of the explosion threw him backwards."

"The initial explosion was quickly followed by several louder booms as the Russians launched a massive drone attack on the port of Izmail in the Odesa region. Video footage from the ship's deck that night, shared with the Guardian, shows explosions and large flames close to the vessel. Sounds of prayers in multiple languages can be heard in some of the clips, punctuated by loud explosions, as the ship's crew braced for every drone that detonated close to them."

Gaurav Joshi was on patrol on 16 July while the MT Nathan remained stranded at a port in southern Ukraine. The crew had been abandoned in a war zone for three months after a dispute between the ship's owners. Fifteen crew members from India, Egypt and Turkey endured sleepless nights listening to distant explosions from Russian bombing and Ukrainian air defences and sometimes saw lights and fire in the sky. A Russian drone exploded very close to the vessel shortly after 1.30am, producing intense air pressure and a blinding light that threw Joshi backwards. Several louder booms followed as a massive drone attack hit the Izmail area, and video footage shows explosions and flames close to the ship while crew members prayed and braced with nowhere to go.

Read at www.theguardian.com