Eighteen sailors were trapped in a submarine docked at the port of Mumbai, and their fate on Wednesday is unclear, as a massive explosion rocked the craft and sent a red-and-yellow fireball hundreds of feet into the air.
“It’s a loss to all of us. It’s a tragedy,” said Defense Minister A.K. Antony, in The Associated Press. He declined to release additional details about those who were killed, except to say that 18 were aboard. The Times of India reported the blast sunk most of the sub.
Local television stations broadcast captured video of the explosion. One man who witnessed the event as it unfolded said he heard a massive blast that sounded like a jet engine, and then the sky turned red.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and were able to extinguish the flames within two hours. Meanwhile, other sailors with nearby units jumped to help, AP reported. Some were injured and sent to a nearby hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries.
The cause of the blast is still under investigation, said one Navy spokesman in the AP report. The diesel-powered sub was Russian-made and 16 years old. It was recently returned from Russia where it had undergone upgrade work, said Rahul Bedi, an analyst for Jane’s Information Group.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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