Indian sailor cremated with military honours

Marikapudi (Andhra Pradesh), Feb 4 : An Indian sailor, who died in a gas leak aboard a warship in Port Blair, was cremated with military honours here on Sunday.

Shipwright Artificer Krishna Rao and four others on board warship "INS Jalashwa" died when they inhaled hydrogen sulphide during routine maintenance work on January 2.

Rao is survived by his parents, a brother and three sisters.

His family and friends appeared inconsolable at the funeral.

"I was really fond of the boy, but unfortunately we lost him," said Giri Patnaik, a family friend.

The bodies of four others, Shipwright Artificer D R Kumar Chaitanya, Shipwright Artificer Ramesh Kumar Nayak, Leading Electrician Mechanic Radio Deepak Shivran and Electrician Mechanic Narendra Yadav, have been sent to their native places for final rites.

A board of inquiry has been constituted in the incident.

The Indian Navy acquired the 17,000-ton US warship USS Trenton on January 17, 2007.

The USS Trenton landing platform dock, which has been renamed INS Jalashva, is the second largest ship with the Indian Navy, after the aircraft carrier Viraat.

The ship has an unrivalled capacity to carry troops close to a battalion-strength and sustain them over a long duration.

ANI