Fire breaks out on INS Brahmaputra; junior sailor missing

The multi-role frigate INS Brahmaputra of the Indian Navy caught fire on July 21 night at the Mumbai dockyard, leaving a junior sailor missing. The ship is currently lying on its side.

"A fire had broken out on board Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra, a multi-role frigate, on the evening of July 21 while she was undergoing refit at Naval Dockyard Mumbai," reads an official statement issued by the Indian Navy on July 22.

According to the Navy, the ship's crew put out the fire by July 22 morning, with assistance from firefighters from Naval Dockyard Mumbai and nearby ships.

Furthermore, follow-up procedures were conducted, such as sanitization tests, to evaluate the remaining fire risk.

The Navy reported that despite their best efforts, the ship could not be restored to an upright position. It proceeded to list alongside her berth and now resides on one side.

"The ship continued to list further alongside her berth and is presently resting on one side," it stated.

The Defense Minister's office posted on social media platform 'X' that Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, has briefed Rajnath Singh on the incident.

"Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, has apprised RM Shri @rajnathsingh of the fire breakout onboard Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra and the damages caused by the incident. RM prays for the safety of the missing sailor," the post read.

In the meantime, the Navy has initiated a probe into the accident.

“All the personnel have been accounted for except one junior sailor, for whom the search is in progress. An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy to investigate the accident,” the statement read.