Know 8 major Indian Navy accidents

New Delhi: The Indian Navy has faced many accidents in the past. The Navy is grappling with the accident-prone tag with eight accidents reported in the last several months. Despite the expansion of warships, the occurrence of such accidents due to the negligence and non compliance of safety guidelines causes concern. Though, the Navy did not give formal clarification about these incidents, many voices have been heard saying that they were not minor incidents as being stated by the Navy. Here are eight major accidents in Indian Navy that have caused a matter of concern for nation: 1. INS Sindhurakshak The biggest naval disaster, INS Sindhurakshak exploded in the midnight in Mumbai on August14, 2013 when the submarine caught fire. At least 18 sailors died in the accident. A major loss to the Navy, INS Sindhurakshak was said to be one of the 10 Kilo-class submarines bought from Russia between 1986 and 2000. Armed with Russian Club-S cruise missile system, radar and electronics, the submarine was to be the backbone of the Indian Navy. The submarine had undergone up gradation before the accident. The Russian shipyard that upgraded the submarine under a 2010 contract had claimed it had installed advanced weapons and systems to enhance the boat's combat capability. 2. INS Konkan On December 5, 2013, INS Konkan at the dry dock in Vishakhapatnam on Navy day. Fire was reported in the engine room of the submarine. Few people on board suffered minor injuries and no casualties were reported. The ship was then repaired and is now operational. 3. INS ViraatIndia's sole aircraft carrier caught fire in September, 2013. The fire broke out in the officers' mess section of the warship. No casualty was reported. The INS Viraat is country's only aircraft carrier and is over 50 years old and has undergone several refurbishments to continue in service in view of the delays in induction of the INS Vikramaditya being procured from Russia and the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier being built in the Cochin Shipyard Limited. 4. INS Talwar INS Talwar collided with a fishing trawler near Ratnagiri coast in Maharashtra injuring 4 of the 27 persons on board. The accident happened on December, 2013. The Indian Navy had then removed the captain, Captain Gopal Suri from his position following the accident. 5. INS Sangram A shell from the Coast Guard ship Sangram landed inside the premises of the Indian Navy in Mumbai when the ship was clearing its gun upon its return into the harbour.The accident happened last year in December. 6. INS Betwa The SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging) system of warship INS Betwa was detected with hairline fracture in its dome that resulted in ingress of sea water into the system. The cause of the accident was not clear and an inquiry was ordered into the matter. 7. INS Sindhughosh INS Sindhughosh submarine was caught in a low tide phase in the waters and had a close shave amid fears of running aground. 8. INS Airavat It is India's most modern amphibious ship with a capacity to carry about 500 soldiers and ten battle tanks on board. This Shardul class ship has a fully-functioning hospital on-board. It has been used for humanitarian assistance during tsunami and cyclones. The vessel's propeller was damaged during its return to its home port Vishakhapatnam. The exact cause of damage is unknown. INS Airavat made news three years ago too when it passed through the troubled waters of the South China Sea on a visit to Vietnam.