He was leading the firefighting efforts; the fire broke out as the ship was entering the harbour in Karwar, Karnataka.

A fire broke out on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Friday morning and one officer, Lt. Cdr. D.S. Chauhan, lost his life in the fire-fighting efforts, the Navy said.

“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,” the Navy said in a statement.

The fire broke out as the ship was entering the harbour in Karwar, Karnataka.

Lt. Cdr. D.S. Chauhan. Photo: Special Arrangement

Lt. Cdr. Chauhan, who led the fire-fighting efforts in the affected compartment, lost consciousness owing to the smoke and fumes. He was immediately taken to the Naval Hospital at Karwar, INHS Patanjali. “However, he could not be revived,” the Navy said.

A Court of Inquiry will investigate the circumstances that led to the fire.