Navy vessel sinks off Vizag coast

• Of 24 personnel rescued, one succumbs
• Four go missing; search is on

Visakhapatnam: One person died and four went missing when a naval torpedo recovery vessel TRV-72 – a 112 tonne naval auxiliary ship used for torpedo recovery –sank in depth of about 370 meters at 7.30 pm on Thursday. The ship was about 35 nautical miles south of Visakhapatnam and 28 nautical miles from the closest point of the coast, a press release by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) said.

This ship was deployed off Visakhapatnam for routine torpedo recovery mission. On successful completion, the vessel was on return passage to the harbour. While enroute, it reported flooding in the steering gear compartment at about 6.30 pm. Naval ships in vicinity were immediately diverted to render assistance and Dornier and Boeing P8I aircraft were also deployed.

Reports said 24 out of the 28 personnel onboard were rescued by naval ships. Of those rescued, one succumbed during post recovery care.

A Sea King 42 C helicopter with night vision capability has been deployed along with additional ships to assist in the search and rescue operation for the missing four officers.

The TRV-72 was built at Goa Shipyard Limited and was commissioned into the Indian navy on February 23, 1983. A board of inquiry has been instituted to investigate the cause of the incident.