Blast in AC compartment of INS Ranvir led to death of 3 sailors: Officials

The blast onboard Indian Navy destroyer INS Ranvir killed three sailors and left 11 injured on Tuesday. The navy has instituted a board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the accident.

NEW DELHI: The blast onboard Indian Navy destroyer INS Ranvir that killed three sailors and left 11 injured on Tuesday took place in the ship’s air conditioning compartment and was possibly linked to Freon gas leak, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

INS Ranvir was commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 1986. (PTI Photo)

The three men who perished were in an adjacent compartment when the explosion took place on Tuesday evening, the officials said.

In a statement, the Indian Navy on Wednesday identified the deceased men as Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) I Krishan Kumar, MCPO II Surinder Kumar and MCPO II AK Singh. An MCPO I is equivalent to a Subedar Major in the army, while an MCPO II is equivalent to a Subedar.

Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and all personnel of the Indian Navy extended their condolences to the families of the three men. “We fully stand by with the families in this difficult time,” the Navy’s statement added.

The incident took place at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The ship’s crew responded immediately and quickly brought the situation under control, the navy said on Tuesday, adding that no major material damage to the destroyer was reported.

Manned by a crew of 30 officers and 310 sailors, INS Ranvir was commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 1986.

The destroyer, built in erstwhile Soviet Union, has a displacement of 5,000 tonnes, length of 146 metres, beam of 15.8 metres and top speed of 30 knots. It is armed with a variety of weapons including surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes.

INS Ranvir is among the warships commanded by Admiral Kumar in his 38-year military career.