"The workers were trying to repair the leakage of sewage water and Hydrogen Sulphide fumes. NEW DELHI: A sailor and a civilian worker were killed on Friday in an accident on board the country's largest warship, the 45,400-tonne INS Vikramaditya, which is currently undergoing a refit at the Karwar naval base in Karnataka.The accident took place at about 5 pm when a team of workers were replacing a pipe in the sewage treatment plant located among the lowermost compartments of the 20-storey tall aircraft carrier. "Moreover, with pressure from the top, many technical and safety corners are cut to ensure adequate operational force-levels.There is, for instance, laxity in conducting water-tight integrity and citadel tests," said an officer. The Navy has ordered an inquiry into the incident, and action has been taken to render the compartment and area on the ship safe and secure, said the officer.This is the first major refit-and-repair of INS Vikramaditya, or the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov that was inducted in November 2013 under a $2.33 billion deal with Russia. At least 10 of the 13 diesel-electric submarines in the force at present, for instance, are over 25 years old.Refits and maintenance of the old warships also remains quite poor due to lack of proper infrastructure and management at dockyards and shipyards.

Source: Times of India June 10, 2016 15:45 UTC