Gas leak on-board INS Vikramaditya kills two

In a serious incident on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, two persons — a Navy sailor and a civilian — were killed due to inhalation of poisonous gas fumes leaking from the ship’s sewage treatment plant on Friday evening.

The country’s biggest naval ship was undergoing maintenance repairs sine June 1 at Karwar, India’s biggest naval base.

“Two personnel, namely Rakesh Kumar, Shipwright Artificer Class 4, and Mohandas Kolambkar, an employee of M/s Royal Marine, succumbed due to gas inhalation,” an Indian Navy release said, adding that the next of kin of the deceased have been informed.

The Navy has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Action has been taken to render the compartment and area on the ship safe.

The incident took place at about 5 pm during maintenance work. Four personnel (two naval sailors and two civilian workers) were evacuated to Naval Hospital at Karwar.

“The condition of the other two personnel is stable,” the release said.

Built in Russia almost 30 years ago, the ship served the Russian Navy as Admiral Gorshkov till its decommissioning in 1996. India bought the carrier in 2004 for about $2.35 billion and was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2014.

This is not the first time there has been an accident on the ship. During its stint in the Soviet Navy too there was a major fire on board.