INS Sindhurakshak: Sixth body recovered, divers gain access into forward compartment

The naval divers have recovered the sixth body from the sunken kilo class submarine INS Sindhurakshak, and gained access into the forward compartment by breaking open jammed hatches as the ongoing rescue operation at the Mumbai dockyard continued.

The statement issued by the Navy confirmed that the divers located and brought the body of the sixth crew member and added that the assessment of the damage and state of the hull in this portion of submarine will now continue.

The samples from bodies of the six crew members have been sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory in Kalina for DNA finger printing.

The statement added that Navy Family Support Cell has remained in contact to provide emotional support to members of families at this hour of grief and the representatives of the eighteen crew members accommodated in Naval premises here are being provided with periodic updates.

INS Sindhurakshak caught fire, after three explosions, and sank at the naval dockyard in Mumbai around midnight between August 13 and August 14.

About 18 persons, including three officers and 15 crew, were on board the submarine at the time of the accident and efforts are on to ascertain the safety of the personnel and salvage of the submarine.

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

Armed with its latest multi-role missile system, radar and electronics, the submarine was to be the backbone of the Indian Navy.

The submarine was fitted with the Club-S multi-role missile system capable of eliminating targets at a distance of over 250 kilometres.

The submarine was under consideration to be equipped with the Brahmos cruise missiles.

INS Sindhurakshak, a Type 877EKM in Russia, was constructed at St. Petersburg in 1997.

The submarine was designed to patrol and to protect naval communications, assault warships, enemy submarines, land targets and perform naval reconnaissance.

It is one of the quietest diesel-electric submarines in the world mainly intended for anti-ship and anti-submarine operations.