Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing vessel off Goa, 2 fishermen still missing
11 crew members were rescued and the search operation to find the two missing crew members is ongoing.
A fishing vessel collided with an Indian Navy submarine about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast on Thursday evening, prompting a large-scale rescue operation to locate two missing crew members, reported news agency PTI.
"An Indian fishing vessel Marthoma with a crew of 13 reportedly collided with an Indian Naval unit on November 21 about 70 nm North West of Goa," an Indian Navy spokesperson said.
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Eleven crew members were rescued, and the search operation to find the two missing crew members is ongoing and was being coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai. The Navy has ordered a high-level probe into the matter.
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A spokesperson from the Navy said additional assets, from the Coast Guard as well, were being mobilised and diverted to the area of the incident to help with the rescue efforts.
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The Navy deployed six ships and an unknown number of surveillance aircraft in the rescue mission.
The fishing vessel collided with a Scorpene class submarine - which is a crucial part of India's naval strength, capable of executing a wide range of functions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.
It has superior stealth techniques and low noise levels, making it a deadly and precise weapon.
The cause of the collision between the submarine and fishing vessel is currently under investigation. The Indian Navy has not released further details on the condition of the two remaining crew members or the vessel's status.
In August this year, a fishing boat collided with a Sri Lankan naval vessel and one fisherman drowned, off the coast of Tamil Nadu.