Rescue divers yet to enter submarine

Access blocked as submarine hatches deformed; no word on officers,sailors.

With only one of the hatches on the conning tower (upper sail) open till late Thursday evening,the rescue team of divers was yet to gain access to the pressure hull of the Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhurakshak. Eighteen naval personnel,including three officers,were on duty watch on Tuesday midnight when multiple explosions ripped through the forward torpedo compartment of the submarine berthed at the Naval Dockyard in Colaba.

The navy has now strategised two sets of groups working on eight-hour shifts for rescue and salvage. According to officials,divers have been able to access only the vertical space inside the conning tower and have not been able to open the second hatch at the bottom of the tower which opens to the pressure hull,the main body of the submarine. The heat of the explosion has melted parts of the internal hull deforming the submarine hatches and preventing access to compartments, read an official statement from Press Information Bureau (defence wing).

The submarine with six compartments has two hulls with a gap of five metres between the outer capsule and the pressure hull. The navys rescue team is now trying methods to gain access into the pressure hull even as the salvage team looks for cracks and breaches which could have led to water ingress.

Story continues below this ad

Its a very complicated task as the whole day has gone in de-watering the outer hull. We did get some control over the vessel during low tide when the silt settled but the high tide made things worse with visibility posing another problem, said an official.

The vessel which is now free flooded and is assumed to weigh its full capacity of 7,000 tonnes is also posing problems of displacement. The watertight integrity of the vessel has been broken. Primary inspection has confirmed this. Once the rescue stage is complete,we will have to X-ray for cracks and figure a method to get it afloat. It is suspected the bigger crack may be at the bottom, said an official.

Normally,a submarine is lifted using air bags,but this is not possible now. The strategists are now exploring other options. With no knowledge on the weapon status inside,we are not taking any chance. Though its a 24-hour operation,at this stage even the floodlights are not enough to get a clear view. The hatches too cant be opened as the pressure has to be maintained, said an official. The diving efforts are hampered by poor visibility inside submarine (which is filled with water),extremely restricted spaces and displacement of most equipment from their original location, the statement said.

Meanwhile,the police continue to wait for the Navy to file a complaint. The incident has happened in the naval area but it comes under our jurisdiction. Any complaint has to come from a naval authority and after that we will investigate it. We havent got anything from them yet, said Krishna Prakash,Additional Commissioner of Police,South region.

Men who opened fire outside actor Disha Patani’s home killed in encounter in Ghaziabad

Cities42 min ago

Two men belonging to the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar Gang were killed in an encounter in Ghaziabad, suspected to be involved in the firing outside Disha Patani's residence. The duo, identified as Ravindra and Arun, were wanted in multiple cases and were spotted by the police through CCTV footage. UP CM Yogi Adityanath had directed for a speedy investigation and strict action against the perpetrators.

View all shorts

Live Blog