INS Sindurakshak explosion: Leakage of oxygen reason behind blast, says CAG report

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Friday revealing the reasons behind Indian Navy’s frontline submarine INS Sindurakshak explosion in 2013 in Mumbai said the major accident was caused by the leakage of oxygen from a torpedo.

The CAG cited the report of a high-level inquiry by the Navy into the explosion on board the submarine on Aug 14, 2013 following which it had sunk. The accident is considered one of the biggest in recent times for the Navy in which 17 personnel were killed.

“In February 2014 after the scientific analysis and careful consideration inferred leakage of oxygen from a torpedo as a primary initiator of the incident. The oxygen leak was attributed to material failure of oxygen flask or its associated pipelines,” the CAG said.

It said complete ‘Work Up’ of the submarine was not conducted when the submarine was prepared for operational deployment as the ‘Work Up’ was completed within one week instead of prescribed two weeks.

The CAG report was tabled in Parliament on Friday.

The CAG said most of the recommendations made by the Boards of Inquiry into explosion on the submarine emphasised the need for strict adherence to the existing standard operating procedures.

The report also said that smoke and fire detectors were not installed in all compartments of the submarine for warning.

“There were two incidents of fire in the submarine within a span of two hours. The occurrence of two fire incidents in the same compartment of the submarine within a span of about two hours is indicative of the fact that in all likelihood, the first fire in the compartment was not extinguished completely,” the report said.

The CAG also cited a number of accidents involving the Navy’s ships and submarines.

(With PTI inputs)