KANPUR, Oct. 14 -- A Kanpur resident working as chief engineer aboard an oil tanker narrowly escaped a drone attack near the Strait of Hormuz after he and 21 other crew members abandoned the vessel in a lifeboat and reached a safe port. Nitin Shukla, who has been working in the merchant navy for nearly 20 years, was aboard the Panama-flagged oil tanker MT Gem No. 2 when it came under a drone attack on October 9 in the region near Sharjah and the Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel had reportedly been stranded in the region for the past four months. Shukla's family, who live in Shyam Nagar, Kanpur, learnt about the attack from the shipping company on Saturday night and spent anxious hours waiting for news of his safety. His wife, Ankita, managed to speak to him over the phone on Sunday, bringing some relief to the family. "The conversation helped us learn more about the incident and how the crew had escaped," she said, adding that all she wanted was his safe return to Kanpur. Shukla's father, Rajesh Kumar Shukla, a retired revenue inspector, and other family members are now seeking the intervention of the Indian government and the Indian embassy to facilitate his early and safe return to the country. "We will be meeting the district magistrate on Wednesday to press for action," he said....