NEW DELHI, April 18 - At least 26 Indian Navy personnel have tested positive for coronavirus at the strategically-located Western Naval Command in Mumbai, in the first case of a major outbreak of the deadly infection in the armed forces.
All the infected sailors were serving at the INS Angre, a shore-based logistics and support establishment, and they are currently undergoing treatment at a Navy hospital, official sources said.
The number of infected sailors is 26, military sources confirmed. However, in a statement in the morning, the Navy has put the number of infected sailors at 21. The difference in the number could not be reconciled immediately.
The Navy has launched a large-scale contact tracing operation to track people who may have come in contact with the sailors. Almost all the residents of the residential building inside INS Angre are being tested, the sources said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and top military brass were briefed about the outbreak and they are keeping a close eye on the situation.
The Western Naval Command is considered a strategic establishment as it takes care of India�s maritime interests in the Arabian Sea as well as parts of the Indian Ocean. The Naval dockyard in Mumbai is only few hundred metres away from INS Angre. � PTI
