A loud explosion near the Indian Navy’s Belekeri ammunition storage facility in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district caused widespread alarm on Thursday afternoon (December 11, 2025), with residents in multiple villages reporting structural damage. More than 30 houses developed cracks, while windows and doors rattled across Alageri, Mavina Keri and surrounding villages in Ankola taluk.
Eyewitnesses described the blast as “deafening”, with thick plumes of black smoke seen rising from the vicinity. The precise origin of the explosion has not yet been officially confirmed.
Authorities launch damage assessment
The Belekeri armoury, commissioned in 2015 under the Indian Navy’s Project Seabird, is a high-security installation that stores critical ordnance and weaponry for frontline warships operating along the western seaboard.
Local residents alerted district authorities soon after the incident, The Times of India reported. Ankola Tahsildar Chikkayya Nayak said revenue officials and police were directed to immediately inspect the affected areas, assess structural damage and determine the cause of the explosion. Door-to-door surveys were underway till Friday evening.
Naval authorities at Karwar declined to comment on the incident. Residents recounted that the impact felt similar to a mild earthquake. “The entire house shook and we rushed out to see smoke rising high in the sky,” a resident of Mavina Keri said, as cited by TOI.
The incident has heightened concerns in the region due to the proximity of civilian settlements to one of the Navy’s most sensitive ammunition storage facilities, even as investigations continue into the cause of the blast.
Infra development at Karwar naval base
Earlier this year in April, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had inaugurated various infra projects at Karwar naval base in Karnataka. In March 2024, Singh had inaugurated a number of infrastructure projects at this strategically located base, being developed considering India’s long-term security interests in the Indian Ocean region.
The first phase of Project Seabird was designed to accommodate 10 ships and was successfully concluded in 2011.