Date:10/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/10/stories/2008021059591000.htm

National

Naval officer dead

Sandeep Dixit

NEW DELHI: A young Indian Navy officer, incapacitated in the toxic gas leak aboard a former US Navy ship, died here late on Saturday, Naval sources said. Married just three months ago, Lt.Cdr. Shwet Gupta had rushed into rescue Navy Personnel aboard INS Jalashwa (formerly USS Trenton) when he also inhaled the toxic gas.

Five Navy personnel had died when they entered a compartment of the newly acquired troop landing ship earlier this week. Three others, including two officers, were also affected by the gas leak. As the condition of Lt.Cdr. Gupta was particularly critical, he was flown from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the Army Research and Referral Hospital here two days ago. But all efforts to revive him were futile.

INS Jalashwa, the second biggest ship in the Indian Navy’s inventory, has on an exercise between Visakhapatnam and the Andaman and Nicobar Island when the accident happened. A court of enquiry has been ordered into the accident.