Navy personnel conducting the salvage operation.
Battling heavy odds, Indian Navy divers, in their search for more bodies on board the INS Sindhurakshak which was rocked by heavy explosions on Wednesday at a Mumbai dockyard, have managed to open a second access to the sunken vessel during an overnight operation they called "challenging yet critical".
The rescue team yesterday recovered badly-burnt bodies of five of the 18 personnel trapped in the submarine after gruelling salvage efforts. Naval authorities say finding the others on board may not be easy in the dark muddied waters.
"The divers have gained a second access to the submarine late last night when they successfully prised open the rear escape hatch which was submerged below and jammed due to high temperature," a Navy statement said. Opening of the jammed forward escape hatch is being attempted for an entry to the front portion of the submarine, it added.
Sources said the Navy divers are "feeling each inch" of the sunken vessel due to zero visibility within flooded compartments to locate the missing bodies and mark a probable route to be used for further salvage operations.
The DNA profiling of the five bodies is being done after doctors at Mumbai's JJ Hospital completed their post-mortem. While the doctors, prima facie, said the cause of their deaths was burning and drowning, the details will be known only after the forensic report.
Meanwhile, Russia has offered to help the Indian Navy in its investigation into the explosion. 16-year-old INS Sindhurakshak, which had suffered an accident in 2010, had recently returned from Russia after a two-and-a-half year upgrade of its electronic warfare and integrated weapons control systems.