Missing Indian sailors confirmed dead

Two sailors who were missing in the aftermath of an accident on an Indian submarine have now been confirmed to be dead, reports say.

Seven other sailors were also injured in the accident, which prompted the naval chief D K Joshi to quit.

Luitenant Commander Kapish Muwal and Luitenant Manoranjan Kumar, who were trapped in one of the submarine’s compartments, were initially thought to have been missing.

Wednesday’s accident on INS Sindhuratna was the latest in a series of fatal naval accidents in recent months.

The Navy said on Thursday that there was no explosion on board the submarine, but heavy smoke was observed leading to the sealing of compartment three.

The seven injured sailors who suffered breathing problems after trying to contain the smoke in the submarine’s living quarters were airlifted to a navy hospital in Mumbai.

Late on Wednesday Admiral Joshi handed in his resignation taking “moral responsibility” for the accidents.

“Taking moral responsibility for the accidents and incidents which have taken place during the past few months, the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi today resigned,” a defence ministry statement later said.