India: Divers Recover Body of Sixth Crew Member

August 19, 2013

Divers involved in search within the stricken submarine Sindhurakshak, met with some more success on the evening of 17 Aug 13.

They located and brought up the body of the sixth crew member just forward of the Control Room despite odds of visibility and mangled metal. They also successfully gained access into the forward compartment by breaking open jammed hatches. The assessment of the damage and state of the hull in this portion of the submarine will now continue through repeated entries by divers.

Samples from the bodies of six crew members have been sent to Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL), Kalina for DNA finger printing. Samples have also been obtained from blood relatives of personnel and forwarded to CFL.

The Navy Family Support Cell in Mumbai have been in regular contact to provide the necessary succour and emotional support to members of the families at this hour of grief. Representatives of the 18 crew members have been accommodated in Naval premises at Mumbai and are being provided periodic updates on the progress of search and rescue operations. The Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam has also established a similar family support cell to interact with family members of the crew who could not travel to Mumbai.

The professional salvers from reputed companies have commenced preliminary survey activities. The present state of the submarine and various options for salvage are being assessed.

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Press Release, August 19, 2013