Karwar: In a tragic incident, a naval officer on Friday lost his life after a fire broke out onboard INS Vikramaditya, India's only aircraft carrier, while entering the harbour in Karnataka's Karwar.

According to reports, Lieutenant Commander DS Chauhan bravely led the firefighting efforts in the affected compartment and died in an attempt to douse the fire.

The reports further said that though the fire was brought under control, Lieutenant Commander Chauhan lost consciousness due to the smoke and fumes during the firefighting efforts. He was rushed to the Naval Hospital in Karwar but had already breathed his last.

INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which began to serve for the Indian Navy in 2013 was renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India.

The aircraft was initially built as Baku and commissioned in 1987. The carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov) before being decommissioned in 1996.

In 2004, the carrier was purchased by India after years of negotiations at a final price. She was commissioned in November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia. In June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inducted INS Vikramaditya into the Indian Navy and dedicated the aircraft carrier to serve the nation.