Mumbai:
"There were 15 sailors, six married; three officers, two of them married; no one rescued so far", said the Navy's chief on Wednesday evening about the 18 men who were on board India's front line submarine, the INS Sindhurakshak, when it sank after an explosion and fire at dawn today.
Admiral DK Joshi said he was "hoping for the best and prepared for the worst," indicating that the chances of survival of those on board were slim, but steadfastly refusing to say that he feared that the sailors might have died. (
Watch: Navy chief on submarine explosion)
"There could be an air-pocket; someone might have grabbed breathing equipment," he explained and said the Navy would wait for confirmation on the fate of his men from rescue teams of divers that had managed to open a jammed hatch on the vessel only by Wednesday afternoon.
Navy officers said the rapid spread of the blaze and the intensity of the explosion had left the 18 sailors trapped in the worst disaster to hit the Indian Navy, which has increasingly sought to dominate the expansive Indian Ocean region with blue water operational capability.
The explosion resulting in a major fire took place on board the INS Sindhurakshak, a Kilo class submarine of the Indian Navy, shortly after midnight.
The submarine had returned after a major upgrade programme in Russia in January and was armed with a potent weapons package including the anti-ship Klub missiles.
The Sindhurakshak was not on active duty at the time of the accident, Navy sources said.