Submarine INS Sindurakshak blast – Updates

Antony confirms deaths

MUMBAI: Defence minister AK Antony on Wednesday said that he feels sad about the sailors who lost their lives in the fire on an Indian Navy submarine in Mumbai.

“I feel sad about those Navy personnel who lost their lives for the country,” Antony told reporters outside Parliament.

In a major setback to the Indian Navy, a submarine caught fire after a massive explosion and sank in the dockyard here early on Wednesday, with the fate of 18 personnel, including three officers, on board remaining uncertain.

More @ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Fire-ravaged-Indian-Navy-submarine-sinks-Antony-confirms-deaths/articleshow/21819584.cms

Submarine INS Sindurakshak blast : Navy orders board of inquiry – Janam TV

The Navy ordered a board of inquiry to probe the explosion and subsequent fire onboard its submarine INS Sindurakshak which has sunk.

The fate of 18 persons onboard the submarine is being ascertained, a Navy official said.

An explosion resulting in a major fire took place on board INS Sindhurakshak, a Kilo class submarine of the Indian Navy, shortly after midnight, a defence spokesperson said.

Fire tenders from the Naval dock yard as well as the Mumbai Fire Brigade were immediately pressed into action, he said.

However, due to the explosion, the submarine has submerged at the dock with only a portion visible above the surface.

A Board of Inquiry is being instituted to investigate into the causes of the accident, he said.

Destroyed by fire, INS Sindhurakshak’s fate uncertain

Mumbai: Although the Indian Navy is yet to come out with an official statement, the fate of INS Sindhurakshak, the Indian submarine that was damaged after fire broke out onboard early Wednesday, remains uncertain.

Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi is in Mumbai to personally take stock of the situation even as specially trained naval divers are trying their level best to save 18 sailors, including three officers, trapped inside the submarine. Defence Minister AK Antony will also visit Mumbai later today.

Importantly, it is not for the first time that INS Sindhurakshak has suffered damage. The submarine, which was commissioned in 1997, got damaged in February 2010 as well when a fire caused by an explosion in a battery compartment led to the death of one sailor. INS Sindhurakshak was docked at Vishakhapatnam at the time of the incident.

However, details about the nature of today’s explosions have yet to be ascertained. Some media reports claimed that the possibility of weapons having been damaged cannot be ruled out.

As per reports, the submarine has sunk with only a tiny portion of it visible over the surface.

More@ http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/destroyed-by-fire-ins-sindhurakshaks-fate-uncertain_868917.html

 

Responses