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India Submarine Blast: Lives Lost In Mumbai Port
BBC NEWS, INDIA
August 14, 2013: A number of crew have been killed in a huge explosion and fire on an Indian submarine berthed at a Mumbai dockyard, India's defense minister says. Defense Minister AK Antony said he felt "sad about those navy personnel who lost their lives". Earlier the navy said it feared 18 sailors had been trapped on board.
The blast on the INS Sindhurakshak took place after midnight and fire fighters spent four hours putting out the blaze. Officials said the diesel-powered vessel was badly damaged.
Defense Minister Antony gave no further details about how many people were killed and if he was referring to deaths among the sailors on board the submarine.
Many sailors managed to jump to safety after the blast. Rescue teams are on scene and some of the injured were taken to hospital. The submarine remains partly submerged at its berth.
It is unclear exactly what caused the explosion but dramatic images on Indian television showed a large fireball illuminating the sky. Smoke from the blaze could be seen in many parts of the city.
A naval inquiry has been set up to look into the causes of the incident, but officials told the BBC they suspect it to be the result of an on-board error and not an act involving any outside agency.
The Russian-built submarine was upgraded recently at a cost of $80m (£52m). Russian firm Zvyozdochka, which refitted the submarine, said the vessel had been fully operational when it was returned to India in January.
'Great loss'
"It's a great loss to us... it's the greatest tragedy of recent times," Defense Minister AK Antony told reporters in Delhi before leaving for Mumbai to visit the site of the incident.
One navy official told the BBC that "surviving an explosion of this huge scale" was rare. Earlier, Indian navy spokesman PVS Satish said 18 people were believed to be trapped on board and "we are in the process of trying to rescue them".
The front portion of the submarine has been damaged badly, Commander Satish said. The INS Sindhurakshak, which is powered by diesel and electricity, is one of the 10 Kilo-class submarines bought from Russia between 1986 and 2000. It is equipped with Russian Club-S cruise missile systems.
The submarine was sent to Russia for the refit in 2010 after a sailor on board was killed by a fire that broke out in the battery compartment while the submarine was docked at the Vishakhapatnam naval base in February that year.
Wednesday's explosion comes just days after India's navy launched its first home-built aircraft carrier, hailed by defense officials as a "crowning glory".
Last year, India bought a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine for its navy on a 10-year lease from Russia at cost of nearly $1bn (£645m), making it part of a select group of nations to operate nuclear-powered submarines. India and Russia are long-time allies and Russia supplies about 70% of India's military hardware.
