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Russian nuclear sub fire 'kills 2'
MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- A fire broke out aboard a Russian nuclear submarine belonging to the Northern Fleet late on Wednesday, killing two of its crew, Interfax news agency quoted Navy sources as saying on Thursday.
Interfax said the submarine was anchored north off the Rybachiy peninsula near the Finnish border when it caught fire. The agency said there was no threat of a radiation leak.
The submarine was now being towed to the port of Vedyayevo, a base for Russian submarines in the Barents Sea, Interfax said.
"The fire was extinguished at midnight. It broke out in the electromechanical compartment. The device protecting the nuclear reactor was enacted. There is no radioactive contamination threat whatsoever," the agency quoted a Navy source as saying.
Russian military officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.
Russia's Northern Fleet has been dogged by fatal accidents. The worst in recent years was when the Kursk submarine sank in the Barents Sea six years ago, killing all 118 people on board.
Last year, the British navy helped rescue the crew of a Russian navy mini-submarine that was stranded 600 feet down in the Pacific with dwindling air supplies.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- A fire broke out aboard a Russian nuclear submarine belonging to the Northern Fleet late on Wednesday, killing two of its crew, Interfax news agency quoted Navy sources as saying on Thursday.
Interfax said the submarine was anchored north off the Rybachiy peninsula near the Finnish border when it caught fire. The agency said there was no threat of a radiation leak.
The submarine was now being towed to the port of Vedyayevo, a base for Russian submarines in the Barents Sea, Interfax said.
"The fire was extinguished at midnight. It broke out in the electromechanical compartment. The device protecting the nuclear reactor was enacted. There is no radioactive contamination threat whatsoever," the agency quoted a Navy source as saying.
Russian military officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.
Russia's Northern Fleet has been dogged by fatal accidents. The worst in recent years was when the Kursk submarine sank in the Barents Sea six years ago, killing all 118 people on board.
Last year, the British navy helped rescue the crew of a Russian navy mini-submarine that was stranded 600 feet down in the Pacific with dwindling air supplies.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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