Kochi: Two Navy personnel killed in hangar door collapse
In a tragic incident, two Indian Navy sailors were killed on Thursday when the heavy door of a helicopter hangar fell on them at the Southern Naval Command's base in Kochi. While the exact reason for the door's collapse is not known as of now, the Indian Navy has ordered an investigation into the incident. Here are the details.
The tragic incident took place on Thursday morning at the INS Garuda - a naval air station that is adjacent to the Southern Naval Command's headquarters in Kochi. The two Navy sailors were exiting the hangar of the Indian Naval Air Squadron 322 when the 20-feet tall sliding door of the hangar dislodged from its supporting rails and fell on them.
Subsequently, the two sailors were rushed to the nearby naval hospital, INHS Sanjivani. However, despite doctors' best efforts to resuscitate them, the sailors succumbed to their injuries around 10am. Meanwhile, sources told The Hindu that the Chetak search and rescue helicopters that were inside the hangar did not suffer any damage from the door collapse.
The two victims served as Chief Petty Officers, and were identified as 28-year-old Naveen, and 29-year-old Ajeet Singh. Naveen, a resident of Bhiwani in Haryana, joined the Navy in 2008. He is survived by his wife and a two-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, Singh, a resident of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, joined the Navy in 2009. He is survived by his wife and a five-year-old son.
