INS Sindhurakshak sinks after serial blasts, 18 navymen feared dead

Two massive blasts rocked through the Navy dockyard in Mumbai on Tuesday night

In one of the worst disasters to have struck the Indian Navy, a series of explosions rocked its submarine INS Sindhurakshak at the dockyard here around midnight, sinking it partially in the shallow sea, in which 18 personnel including three officers are feared killed.

A smaller intensity explosion was followed by two massive blasts, causing a major fire in the Russian-made submarine, Admiral D K Joshi, Chief of Naval Staff told reporters after visiting the dockyard in Colaba.

Joshi, who accompanied Defence Minister A K Antony, did not rule out the possibility of a sabotage but said, "Indications so far do not support such a theory."

The diesel-electric submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy 1997 at a cost of around Rs 400 crore and had gone through a Rs 450-crore extensive upgrade in Russia.

With the 18 navy personnel still missing nearly 17 hours after the mishap, he said, "While we can hope for the best, we have to be prepared for the worst.

"Miracles do happen. There might be air-pockets (to aid their survival). We know that so much time has gone by," he said.

Joshi said three other personnel who were on board the vessel but not inside, jumped to safety but were too shocked to make a statement.

A board of inquiry has been constituted to probe the reason behind the blasts and it is expected to submit its report within four weeks, he said.

Divers from the navy, Joshi said, have been able to cut through the vessel, as all hatches had fused due to the fire, and were looking for the missing personnel, but without any success so far.