A naval officer died today after a fire broke out onboard INS Vikramaditya, India's only aircraft carrier, while entering the harbor in Karnataka's Karwar.
"Lieutenant Commander DS Chauhan bravely led the firefighting efforts in the affected compartment," the Navy said in a statement.
While the fire was brought under control, the officer lost consciousness due to the smoke and fumes during the firefighting efforts. He was immediately evacuated to the Naval Hospital at Karwar but could not be revived, the Navy said.
The naval officer was in his twenties and had gotten married just last month. He is survived by his mother and wife.
The Navy added that the fire was brought under control by the ship's crew "in a swift action preventing any serious damage affecting the ship's combat capability."
INS Vikramaditya weighs 40,000 tonnes and is the biggest and heaviest ship in the Indian Navy.
A Board of Inquiry to investigate the fire incident has been ordered.
The $2.3 billion aircraft carrier came to India from Russia in January 2014. INS Vikramaditya, which was commissioned into the Indian Navy in November 2013 at the Sevmash shipyard in north Russia's Severodvinsk, is based at its home port at Karwar in Karnataka.
INS Vikramaditya is 284 metres long and 60 metres high -- that's about as high as a 20-storeyed building. The ship weighs 40,000 tonnes and is the biggest and heaviest ship in the Indian Navy.
In Relief For DK Shivakumar, High Court Rejects CBI Plea To Continue Probe Court Says Governor Can Act On His Own In Siddaramaiah Prosecution Order "Will Accept Supreme Court's Decision As God's Own": DK Shivakumar On Assets Case US Millionaire, Who Died By Suicide, Owed $34 Million With $8,000 In Bank Elderly Man Slapped, Abused On Train Over Suspicion Of Carrying Beef Manipur Chief Minister Slams Tejashwi Yadav Over "Racist" Jab At Himanta Sarma 8 Killed After Bus Carrying 47 Overturns In US State Of Mississippi: Report Trump "Disrespected Sacred Ground' At US Military Cemetery: Kamala Harris Top 10 US Universities Based On Forbes Rankings 2024 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.