INS Sindhurakshak mishap: Death of 5 Navy men due to burns, drowning

The autopsy conducted on five navy men, whose bodies were extricated from submarine INS Sindhurakshak, has found that they died due to severe burns and drowning, even as divers on Saturday continued search operations for other personnel who were on board. Doctors at the state-run J J Hospital here have completed post-mortem on the bodies, sources said. "DNA samples and dental marks have been taken (to ascertain their identity)," an official said, adding all these will be sent for forensic analysis.

In one of the worst disasters to have struck the Indian Navy, a series of explosions rocked the Russian-made Kilo class submarine at the dockyard here on the midnight of August 13, sinking it partially in the shallow sea. Only five bodies of the 18 navy personnel on board the ill-fated submarine, including three officers, have been pulled out.

The bodies of the Navy men were charred beyond recognition, but tissues were found to be intact, sources said, adding other details will be known only after receiving the forensic report. X-rays of the bones indicated that no shrapnels were found, they added. Yesterday, a case of accidental death under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code was registered on a complaint filed by Gopal Singh Rajput, a doctor in the frontline submarine.