New Delhi
At least 18 Indian navy personnel, including three officers, are believed to have died inside a submarine after it exploded and sank in the naval dockyard in the heart of Mumbai early yesterday.
The navy classified the 18 sailors aboard INS Sindhurakshak, a Russian Kilo-class submarine, as "missing", listing their status as "yet to be ascertained", a euphemism for killed in the line of duty.
After the incident the 2,300-tonne submarine lay nose-down in two to three metres of water with a small portion visible above the surface.
Officials said it took more than four hours for firefighters to douse the fire; rescue operations continued the entire day.
'Prepare for worst'
Addressing a news conference later in the evening, navy chief Adm DK Joshi said that, 16 hours after the incident, divers had managed to enter the submarine through its jammed hatch.
“We hope for the best but are prepared for the worst. Submarine accidents always tend to be catastrophic,” he said, offering condolences to the families of those presumed dead.
Indian defence minister AK Antony described the incident as the “greatest tragedy in recent times”.
“I feel sad about those navy personnel who have lost their lives in service of the country,” he told reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Mumbai, but refrained from saying how many had died.
The navy has ordered an inquiry into the incident, which is the worst it has experienced during peace time. It was expected to complete its findings in four weeks, Adm Joshi said.
Preliminary assessments by senior submariners point to a possible hydrogen gas leak from the boat's batteries, which could have ignited and spread to the ordnance stored aboard, triggering the series of simultaneous explosions.
Two explosions
Adm Joshi confirmed that two major explosions occurred inside the submarine.
The fully-armed submarine was preparing to leave Mumbai on extended patrol in a few days.
“Many things are in close proximity: fuel, hydrogen, oxygen and ordnance, which is a lethal incendiary mix in the event of even a minor blunder,” Vice Adm AK Singh said.
The incident comes just days after the navy launched its first indigenously developed carrier and activated the reactor aboard its locally designed nuclear attack submarine.
Commissioned into Indian navy service in 1997, Sindhurakshak rejoined the fleet in January after an $80 million (€60 million) revamp that included refurbishing its hull and upgrading numerous systems to enhance safety and security.
The retrofit was expected to add 10 years to the submarine’s 25-year service life.
Naval sources said it was "unlikely" the navy would be able to operationally resurrect Sindhurakshak as the damage seemed irreparable.
This is bad news for a navy facing a severe depletion of its ageing sub-surface fleet.
By 2014 to 2015, the navy will be left with only nine of its current fleet of 14 submarines.
