2 sailors die, 14 others sustain injuries after INS Betwa tips over at Mumbai Naval Dockyard

INS Betwa, a guided missile frigate, tipped over and crashed to its side while undocking at the Mumbai dockyard on Monday. The warship was undergoing a refit when the incident took place around 2 pm.

Two sailors died in the mishap, while 14 others have been rescued and are being treated for minor injuries.

The vessel had reportedly been docked for underwater repairs. When it was being returned to the water, which involves tipping it, the system snagged and the entire ship fell on one side. The incident also caused the main mast of the ship to break.

“This is a very big situation for the navy as this has never happened before… The incident occurred during undocking… It is suspected that dock blocks mechanism failed,” said navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma.

The 3,850-ton ship is currently lying on sideways at the naval dockyard, as officers try to ascertain the extent of the damage caused to the vessel. It is not clear yet how the 126 m long vessel will be set right again.

Armed with Uran anti-ship missiles, Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes, INS Betwa is one of the key warships of the Western Naval Command. It was commissioned into the navy in 2004.

Since 2011, INS Betwa is the third Indian warship which has been involved in a major accident while being docked.