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LequteMan
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India's defense minister A. K. Anthony has said there have been deaths on board an Indian navy submarine that caught fire after an explosion in a Mumbai dockyard.
"It's a loss to all of us. It's a tragedy,” He said to reporters before leaving for Mumbai to assess the situation.
The scene was shown on local TV as the event was filmed by bystanders. In the footage, an enormous ball of red and yellow fire rose hundreds of feet into the air. A witness said he heard a sound like a rocket or jet engine, then a blast. Another witness said the sky turned red after the explosion.
About a dozen fire engines rushed to the dockyard to douse the fire and it was extinguished in about two hours.
A navy officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said some sailors of other nearby units jumped into the sea in panic. Some were injured and taken to the hospital. He also said the number of dead or injured sailors was unclear. There were eighteen sailors aboard. Afterwards, the sub was nearly submerged at its berth in the naval dockyard.
Navy spokesman Narendra Vispute said the cause of the explosion was being investigated.
The 16-year-old Russian-made submarine,INS Sindhurakshak, had recently returned from Russia after undergoing an overhaul and upgrade.
"It's a loss to all of us. It's a tragedy,” He said to reporters before leaving for Mumbai to assess the situation.
The scene was shown on local TV as the event was filmed by bystanders. In the footage, an enormous ball of red and yellow fire rose hundreds of feet into the air. A witness said he heard a sound like a rocket or jet engine, then a blast. Another witness said the sky turned red after the explosion.
About a dozen fire engines rushed to the dockyard to douse the fire and it was extinguished in about two hours.
A navy officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said some sailors of other nearby units jumped into the sea in panic. Some were injured and taken to the hospital. He also said the number of dead or injured sailors was unclear. There were eighteen sailors aboard. Afterwards, the sub was nearly submerged at its berth in the naval dockyard.
Navy spokesman Narendra Vispute said the cause of the explosion was being investigated.
The 16-year-old Russian-made submarine,INS Sindhurakshak, had recently returned from Russia after undergoing an overhaul and upgrade.
