INS Sindhuratna returns to Mumbai harbour

The Indian Navy has issued a statement in which it stated that the submarine INS Sindhuratna has returned to the Mumbai harbour on Thursday morning but two crew members are still missing. “Search for two missing crew members is continuing and every effort is underway to locate them. All other personnel on the submarine are safe,” a statement issued by the Navy said. The statement also said that a high level inquiry, headed by an officer of Rear Admiral rank, has been constituted and has immediately commenced its proceedings. [caption id=“attachment_1410801” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption]There were 94 sailors onboard the submarine when the accident took place. The accident - the cause of which is not yet clear - took place in the early hours of Wednesday, about 50 nautical miles (80 km) in the Arabian Sea. Officials suspect that the two “unaccounted for” officials may have been trapped in one of the sealed compartments of the vessel. Details about what caused the accident were not available, but preliminary reports suggest that the toxic smoke may have been caused either due to a fire or a leakage in one of the hydrogen batteries on the vessel. Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi tendered his resignation following the accident, which was accepted by the government.