The explosion onboard the aging destroyer INS Ranvir in Mumbai at the Naval Dockyard has killed three Navy personnel and injured 11 people on Tuesday. A statement issued by the Navy stated that no major material damage was reported and a board of inquiry has been established to inquire into the incident. The injured personnel are being treated at the Naval hospital INS Ashwini
INS Ranvir is counted amongst the oldest warships in the Indian Navy. It is a destroyer of the Soviet era and was commissioned into the navy in April 1986. It is the 4th destroyer of the Rajput class and the first one of the Ranvir class. The other destroyer in the Ranvir class is called INS Ranvijay.
The Navy via a statement reported the incident saying that in an unfortunate incident at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, three Navy personnel succumbed to their injuries caused by the explosion in one of the internal compartments onboard the destroyer INS Ranvir. The response by the crew of the ship was immediate and the situation was controlled quickly. No major material was destroyed as per the report.
The unlucky incident took place around 4:30 and 5:00 pm at the time when the ship was docked. The explosion took place in one of the AC Compartment and the people who got killed were at the time on a compartment above the AC compartment. The destroyer was on the cross for coast operational deployment from the eastern naval command since November last year. It was due to return shortly to the base port.
The Navy personnel who got killed were all senior sailors but not the officers onboard. The Navy is trying to reach out to the families of the deceased and the names of the people will be released afterward. The explosion had nothing to do with the weapons or ammunition according to the sources. This is the first major accident since June 2019 where a worker got killed in a fire that took place on board the then Visakhapatnam destroyer which was under construction at Mazagon Dockyard.
The destroyer was commissioned into the Indian Navy on April 21, 1986. The ships of the Ranvir class were built in the former Soviet Union. The Ranvir class’s destroyer ships are responsible for protection as anti-submarine and anti-aircraft warfare for the carrier of task force defense against low-flying aircraft, submarines, and cruise missiles. Admiral R Harikumar, the current Navy chief had commanded the ship at one point in his career.
