The night sky is lit up in Mumbai as a fire burns aboard INS Sindhurakshak.
ALL 18 sailors on a docked Indian Navy submarine crippled by two explosions are feared dead.
Rescuers have had no contact with any of the crew since the blasts at the Mumbai navy base.
Navy divers had opened one of the hatches in the INS Sindhurakshak but had not been able to enter because it was dark and full of muddy water.
Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi said: “We hope for the best but we have to prepare for the worst.”
The Russian-built conventionally-powered submarine had been damaged in another deadly blast in 2010 and was brought back into service only a few months ago.
The explosions in its torpedo compartment sent a huge fireball into the air and sent nearby sailors jumping into the sea.
