VISAKHAPATNAM: Three weeks after the Indian Navy’s TRV A72 sank in the sea, the officials continue to investigate the causes of the mishap, using footage retrieved from the remote operated vehicle (ROV). However, the officials are not lucky enough in tracing the four personnel who went missing after the tragic incident, leaving their families in despair.
On November 6, the vessel sunk in the Bay of Bengal at about 65 km off Visakhapatnam coast leaving one Navy man dead and four others including an officer missing. The Navy authorities deployed a large number of ships and aircraft to conduct an extensive search for eight days. The search operations were conducted up to the Krishna-Godavari Basin to rescue the missing sailors or at least recover their bodies. After reviewing their strategies, the Navy officers have deployed an ROV obtained from a private oil company and used it to reach the TRV which is now lying at about 370 m depth.
“At present, the only way to reach the vessel is using ROVs to check its position and also verify if the missing personnel got stuck in the vessel when it sank. The footage retrieved from the video camera mounted on the ROV is being examined carefully. We shall not hesitate to retrieve the vessel to recover the bodies of the brave officers,” said a navy officer. The handycam, which was recovered during the search and rescue operations, was also checked for clues. Though the officials have concluded questioning the men on board the fateful vessel, they admit that unless they examine the vessel directly, it might be difficult to pin-point the exact cause of the mishap.
Though they have not formally reached a conclusion over the death of those missing, many officers express the view that the survival chances of their colleagues are bleak and they would have been traced out by now, if they had survived the mishap.
“The family members have more or less accepted the fact that their loved ones are unlikely to return home. They hope to at least conduct the final rites properly and have been in touch with the senior officers,” said a navy officer who lives in the neighbourhood of lieutenant commander Y Shishir Kumar who was among the missing navymen.