Minor fire onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya

The warship is currently at its home port, Karwar in Karnataka. All personnel onboard have been accounted for and no casualty reported.

India’s only aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, reported a minor fire on Saturday and the navy is probing the incident, officials said.

India bought the 44,500-tonne aircraft carrier from Russia under a deal worth $2.33 billion. It joined the naval fleet seven years ago. (AFP PHOTO.)

“The duty staff observed smoke emanating from the part of the warship having accommodation for sailors. The ship’s duty personnel acted promptly to fight the fire,” said an official.

The warship is currently at its home port, Karwar in Karnataka. “All personnel onboard have been accounted for and no major damage has been reported,” he added.

India bought the 44,500-tonne aircraft carrier from Russia under a deal worth $2.33 billion. It joined the naval fleet seven years ago. The navy operates Russian-origin MiG-29K maritime fighters from the deck of the aircraft carrier.