国际时事:印度潜艇爆炸 18水兵遇难

An Indian naval submarine armed with missiles and torpedoes exploded in Mumbai port early yesterday and sank, sending fireballs into the night sky over the country’s commercial capital and killing up to 18 sailors trapped on board.

印度一艘搭载导弹和鱼雷的海军潜艇昨日凌晨在孟买港发生爆炸后沉没，导致至多18名被困的水兵遇难。孟买这个印度商业之都的夜空升起火球。

The navy immediately ordered an inquiry into the disaster on the INS Sindhurakshak, one of a fleet of diesel-powered Kilo-class submarines bought from Russia. A second submarine nearby caught alight, according to a fire officer, although the extent of the damage was not immediately known.

印度海军立即下令对“辛杜拉克沙克”号(INS Sindhurakshak)的灾难进行调查，该潜艇从俄罗斯购买，是一艘柴油推进的基洛级(Kilo)潜艇。据一名消防官员称，附近的另一艘潜艇也曾起火，不过损毁的程度还无法马上知晓。

If the blast was an accident, as suggested by the navy, the explosion would revive concerns about the reliability and safety of India’s military equipment and its maintenance procedures as it seeks to modernise its armed forces and compete with China in the Asia-Pacific region.

如果此次大火像印度海军所暗示的那样是一次事故，那么它将再次引发人们对于印度军事装备的可靠性和安全性，以及装备维护程序的担忧。印度正努力对其军队进行现代化，在亚太地区与中国展开竞争。

The submarine that exploded had returned only months earlier from a refit in Russia costing at least $80m, which included equipping the vessel with cruise missiles.

爆炸潜艇数月前才从俄罗斯改装完毕回国，此次改装耗资至少8000万美元，包括为潜艇配备巡航导弹。

“I feel sad about those navy personnel who lost their lives in the service of their country,” said A K Antony, the defence minister, as rescue workers searched for survivors.

在救援人员寻找生还者时，印度国防部长安东尼(AK Antony)表示：“我对这些为国捐躯的海军士兵感到悲伤。”