NEW DELHI: A naval officer has been killed in an accident on board in yet to be operational warship, in a sensation new twist to Navy's ongoing tryst with accidents.
Sources said a commander rank officer of the Kolkata class destroyer was killed around 1pm on Friday in the accident.
Sources said he was killed because of possible malfunctioning of the firefighting system in the engine room of the destroyer.
The valve on top of the carbon-dioxide cylinder burst, hitting the officer on his chest, and he collapsed. The leaking CO2 would have further added to the confusion, it is believed.
INS Kolkata (officially now called Yard 701) is the most modern destroyer of India, set for commissioning in a few weeks time. It is now at the Bombay Port Trust undergoing trials.
The accident comes days after Admiral
DK Joshi resigned as Navy chief, owning moral responsibility for a series of accidents including two aboard submarines. The latest accident would raise serious questions over the quality of MDL worksmanship and supplies.
INS Kolkata is the lead ship in the guided class destroyers India is building now. The other two would be INS Kochi and INS Chennai.