NEW DELHI — All 18 sailors aboard an Indian submarine hit Wednesday by twin explosions and an intense fire were feared dead, a naval official said.
The 16-year-old Russian-made submarine, which had been damaged in a deadly explosion in 2010, had only recently returned to service.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because divers had yet to recover any bodies, said the navy thought there was no way anyone could have survived the intensity of the blasts and fire, which occurred when the diesel-powered submarine was docked at a Mumbai navy base.
Officials had earlier said that there had been no contact with the sailors since the explosions, which occurred in a torpedo compartment and sent a huge fireball into the air. They said navy divers had opened one of its hatches but had not yet been able to enter the submarine because it was dark and full of muddy water.
