Three naval men injured in oxygen cylinder blast aboard ship

Mumbai: Three naval sailors were injured, including one who lost a leg, when a bailout bottle exploded aboard diving support ship INS Nireekshak, a navy official said here on Wednesday.

The mishap occurred around 40 nautical miles from Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, while the ship was on way from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Mumbai on April 16.

The diving bailout bottle is a small 12-inch oxygen bottle carried by divers in their diving helmets for use if the primary oxygen supply fails. The blast occurred during the refilling of the bottle. 

One of the three sailors working on the ship's deck sustained serious injuries, following which his right leg had to be amputated above the knee. 

The two others suffered splinter injuries in legs and stomach, the official said.

The sailors were admitted to the military hospital in Thiruvanthapuram but later shifted to Mumbai. Their condition was said to be stable.

An inquiry was ordered to find the cause of explosion, a first of its kind accident in the navy.