INS Sindhurakshak: 5 deaths aboard sub due to burns, drowning

The post-mortem of five navy men, whose bodies were taken out from submarine INS Sindhurakshak, has found they died due to severe burns and drowning.

The divers on Saturday continued search operations for other personnel who were on board. Doctors at the state-run J J Hospital here completed the post-mortem, sources said.      "DNA samples and dental marks have been taken (to ascertain identity)," an official said.      

In one of the worst disasters to have struck the navy, a series of explosions rocked the Russian-made Kilo class submarine at the dockyard here on Tuesday midnight, sinking it partially in the shallow sea.      Only five bodies of the 18 personnel aboard the submarine, including three officers, have been pulled out.      

The bodies were charred beyond recognition, but tissues were found intact, sources said, adding other details would be known after receiving the forensic report. X-rays of the bones indicated no sign of shrapnels, they added.

‘Safety rules violation’
Violation of safety regulations could be the most-likely cause of the explosions on the Sindhurakshak because of which it sank, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has said.     

Rogozin, who was quoted by the official news agency, Itar Tass, said India had raised no questions over the technical aspects of the submarine built and recently overhauled by Russia. He said assessment of what happened was still being made to determine the reason behind the tragedy in which 18 Navy officials are feared dead.      

"But things are still to be assessed in full. At the moment we are not blaming the equipment," Rogozin said.

"The first piece of information I received at night, several hours after the accident, was the blast had occurred in the section where storage batteries were being charged. This is the most dangerous work, connected with safety measures rather than with the producers of the equipment," he said.      

Rogozin also expressed condolences to the Indian side in connection with the loss of lives.      

He said the submarine itself, which had covered 15,000 nautical miles, did not attract criticism as to its technical characteristics.     

"It has never raised any questions on the part of our Indian colleagues," he added.     The diesel-electric submarine was built in 1997 by the Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg.     It underwent interim overhaul and modernisation at the Russian Severodvinsk-based Zvezdochka shipyard, and arrived at the Indian port of Mumbai on April 29.