Indian Navy confirms discovery of missing seaman Sitendra Singh's body after INS Brahmaputra fire

The Indian Navy announced on Wednesday that the body of Leading Seaman Sitendra Singh, who went missing after a fire aboard the multirole frigate INS Brahmaputra on Sunday, has been recovered following an intensive diving operation. The Navy expressed its condolences on social media, with a message on X, paying tribute to Singh and offering support to his grieving family.

"Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff, and all personnel of the Indian Navy mourn the loss of life and pay tribute to Sitendra Singh, Ag LS (UW), who lost his life in the unfortunate incident onboard INS Brahmaputra at Mumbai, and extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," the statement read.

Chief of naval staff visits Mumbai

The announcement of Singh's death coincides with Chief of Naval Staff Adm Dinesh K Tripathi's visit to Mumbai on July 23-24. The visit was intended to review the sequence of events that led to the fire aboard INS Brahmaputra while the ship was undergoing refit operations. 

During his visit, Adm Tripathi was briefed on the measures taken to mitigate the damage, the recovery plans, and the repair work required to restore the ship's functionality. He directed both the Command and Naval Headquarters to initiate all necessary actions to make INS Brahmaputra seaworthy and combat-ready as quickly as possible. "The CNS also exhorted the crew to work towards early operationalization of the ship in the true spirit of the Indian Navy," officials added.

Details of the incident

The fire on INS Brahmaputra broke out at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on the evening of July 21. At the time, the ship was undergoing a refit. The crew, with assistance from dockyard firefighters and other ships in the harbour, managed to control the blaze by the morning of July 22. Follow-up actions, including sanitization checks, were conducted to assess any remaining fire risk.