Submarine INS Sindhuratna fire: 'He would have loved to die in war, he'd say this is embarrassing'

New Delhi:  Two naval officers whose bodies were found inside the submarine INS Sindhuratna on Thursday, died saving other sailors after ...

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New Delhi:  Two naval officers whose bodies were found inside the submarine INS Sindhuratna on Thursday, died saving other sailors after a fire broke out in the vessel late on Wednesday morning.

Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal, 32, and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar, 30, were found dead in a compartment after the submarine was brought to the Mumbai coast on Thursday. 

Their bodies, reportedly bloated and disfigured due to hours of exposure to toxic gases, are being DNA-tested.

"If my brother was here, he would have told me, I would have loved to die in battle...this is embarrassing," said Lt Commander Muwal's brother Ashish.

Ashish Muwal shared that his brother had told him that the submarine was not fit to go to sea. "My brother knew the submarine was defective. Everyone knew it was defective. It was sent for trial one last time. It was only for one day and it proved fatal. It is a bad joke which has taken two precious lives."

A battery leak reportedly started the fire, and poisonous fumes from fire extinguishers filled two compartments.

Survivors say the two officers pushed their comrades out of the compartments and were checking to see whether anyone was left when a hatch closed, trapping them inside. Seven injured sailors are recovering in hospital.

The incident comes months after a dockside blast in Mumbai killed all 18 aboard another submarine, INS Sindhurakshak, last August, raising concerns over India's ageing fleet and crew training. Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi cited a series of accidents on his watch while resigning on Wednesday. (Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi resigns taking responsibility for submarine accidents)

The INS Sindhuratna, a Soviet-built Kilo class vessel, was commissioned in 1988.

At Lt Commander Manoranjan Kumar's home in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, no one dared break the news to his mother on Thursday. The family reportedly disconnected its cable TV connection and stopped all visitors from coming in.

"Manoranjan studied engineering for four years before joining the navy. He was the brightest in the family...it is a shock for us," said his cousin Rajesh Kumar. The officer's father has left for Mumbai to bring his body. The officer was reportedly engaged to be married.

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