One Indian sailor died and three others were hospitalised after a fire broke out onboard a naval aircraft carrier, officials said today.

The INS Viraat was deployed off the south-western state of Goa when a fire started in one of its boiler rooms yesterday.

The fire was quickly brought under control, but the four sailors were taken to a naval hospital after inhaling smoke, navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma said.

One of them suffered a cardiac arrest at the hospital and died, while the others remained under medical supervision, the spokesperson added.

The navy ordered a probe into the incident.

The INS Viraat had been India’s sole aircraft carrier for a quarter of a century before a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov , now called the INS Vikramaditya , entered service in 2013.

The 28,000-tonne carrier is on its last operational deployment before it is retired in June, officials said.

- dpa