Days after the fire on Navy warship INS Brahmaputra, the body of the missing sailor has been recovered. As per Naval officials, the body has Leading Seaman Sitendra Singh has been recovered after days of diving operations.
The body of Sitendra Singh, Leading Seaman, who was missing following a fire aboard the Indian Navy’s multi-role frigate INS Brahmaputra at Mumbai dockyard on Sunday, was found on Wednesday after intensive diving operations. Singh was on board INS Brahmaputra that caught fire while undergoing a re-fit and then listed to one side, causing damage. Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, and every Indian Navy member sent their sincere condolences to Sitendra Singh's family. The Indian Navy stands resolutely with the bereaved family in this hour of grief, an official statement said.
"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 from the Indian Navy released on Monday. The crew of the ship, with the assistance of firemen from Naval Dockyard Mumbai and other vessels, put out the fire by Monday morning, according to the Navy.
Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, CNS visited Mumbai on Wednesday after the regrettable tragedy and examined the series of events leading up to the mishap. The CNS was informed of the steps taken to mitigate the damage, create a recovery plan, and start repairs as soon as possible to get the ship back in operating order. He gave the command to start taking urgent measures at Naval Headquarters and the Command to get INS Brahmaputra battle ready and seaworthy.
Interacting with the crew of INS Brahmaputra, CNS exhorted the crew to work towards early operationalisation of the ship in the true spirit of the Indian Navy. Efforts are underway to make the ship sailworthy and combat-worthy once again.
INS Brahmaputra is the first of the indigenously built 'Brahmaputra' class-guided missile frigates and it was commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 2000. The nearly 3,600-tonne ship is fitted with an array of weapons including surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, medium range guns, anti-submarine rockets, radars, sonars and state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems.