A diver of the Indian Navy lost a leg after he was injured while testing some equipment on board the diving support vessel INS Nireekshak.
The sailor, who has been with the Navy for nearly a decade, will be fitted with a prosthetic limb.
"The incident took place on board INS Nireekshak on April 16," said Captain DK Sharma. A fall-back oxygen can attached to a helmet burst when it was being refilled.
Two other sailors had sustained splinter injuries on stomach and leg. "All three men have been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai," said Captain Sharma. The right leg of the diver was amputated above the knee.
Sources said this was the first time a cylinder of this type has exploded in the Navy. An inquiry is being conducted into the accident.
At the time of the accident, the ship was 40 nautical miles off the coast of Vizhinjam, a seaport near Thiruvananthapuram.
Diving support vessels are usually used for operations in and around offshore oil platforms. But INS Nireekshak, built initially for oil exploration, functions as a submarine rescue vessel.
