NEW DELHI — Indian sailors shaken by war have finally cleared the Strait of Hormuz after being stranded there for months, but some fear they have little choice but to return to make a living.

The country is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping, sending out hundreds of thousands of seafarers to work worldwide.

Thousands of Indian sailors have left the Gulf since the war began, including more than 3,600 aided by the South Asian nation’s shipping ministry.

But during the conflict between the United States and Iran, commercial shipping in the Gulf became a target, and some Indian mariners saw their vessels attacked and their shipmates killed or wounded.

Many who have since made it out remain apprehensive despite an interim deal to end the war, as sporadic violence has continued and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint.

Thirty-one-year-old Sitaram Tandel, from a small fishing village in India’s Gujarat state, saw the danger at first hand while aboard a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier.

In March, another vessel owned by his company, the crude tanker Safesea Vishnu, was attacked, killing an Indian crew member.

Weeks later, Tandel’s own vessel was hit by a strike.

“Our luck ran out,” he said. “It was early morning, I was getting ready for my shift when we were struck.”

The crew escaped physically unharmed, and he said his family was “relieved” he was back home safely.

“No one died, but the entire crew slipped into depression after that. It was a life-changing experience, unimaginably scary,” he said.

“I don’t know what lies next. The attack has left me shaken and too scared to go back to the Gulf, but I also have a family to feed.”