Mumbai, May 9
Four persons, including two sailors, were injured in a minor fire that broke out aboard naval frigate INS Ganga this morning. The fire was reportedly caused by accumulation of gas in a chamber of the vessel where some welding work was on around 11 am.

The fire was reportedly caused by accumulation of gas in a chamber of the INS Ganga. A file photo

“The (welding) gun took time to ignite and when it did, thick flames erupted from the gun,” a source said.

The four victims, two of them civilians, suffered minor eye injuries and were taken to a hospital and later discharged. There was no report of any damage to the ship or its equipment.

INS Ganga has been involved in securing the sea waters from piracy in and around the Arabian Gulf region. There have been 11 accidents involving Indian Navy ships and submarines since last August. A total of 21 officers and sailors have died in three mishaps.

Submarine Sindhuratna met with an accident February 26, 2014 when a fire onboard resulted in the death of two sailors. — Agencies