On 13th August, an Indian Navy submarine at a high security dockyard in Mumbai caught fire after a deafening blast shortly after midnight. The submarine had underwent a major refit in Zvezdochka shipyard of Russia before this tragic incident. It is an Indian Navy diesel-electric submarine that got destroyed in a major fire .
In June 2010,the contract for the refit and modernization of the INS Sindhurakshak (S63), a Project 877 EKM (NATO Kilo-class) submarine was signed with Russia.
Many sailors could jump to save their lives, but 18 sailors on board the INS Sindhurakshak submarine got trapped inside.Some of these INS Sindhurakshak sailors have been rushed to naval hospital INHS Ashvini in Colaba.
Neither rescue and relief teams nor 16 fire tenders could save the submarine .The INS Sindhurakshak sank along with on board sailors immediately after dawn.
Massive search operation for survivors inside the water are going on.
Defense Minister expressed sadness over the tragic death of sailors .Ex- Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash told IBN-Live: ‘Procedures are pretty much watertight and sabotage is remote.’
Several former naval officers suspect torpedo and missile with warheads on board may have exploded .
A fire brigade official said that around 3 am, the blaze had been brought under control and prevented from spreading to other vessels docked in the vicinity.
The blast was first heard ashore by deputy chief fire office PS Rahandale who immediately alerted the fire brigade and other emergency services.
The sindhurakshak submarine displaces 2,300 tonnes, carries 52 crew members, and has a top speed of 19 knots (35 km per hour) and diving depth of 300 meters.
Former commodore Uday Bhaskar, said,”The Sindhurakshak today is perhaps the worst accident that the Indian navy’s submarine arm has ever had,”