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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 3 July 2019

Fire kills 14 Russian sailors aboard deep-sea submersible

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV fered an explosion in one of
MOSCOW (AP) — Fire broke its missile tubes in 1986 that
out on one of the Russian killed four of its crew, was
navy's deep-sea research quoted as saying by Sever-
submersibles, and toxic post news outlet that Mon-
fumes from the blaze killed day's blaze could have
14 sailors aboard, Russia's been caused by a short
Defense Ministry said Tues- circuit or a flammable liq-
day, although it released uid getting into an air filter
few details about the disas- — the two most common
ter or the vessel involved. causes of submarine fires.
The Defense Ministry did not The Russian navy also
say how many sailors were uses simpler Priz-class and
aboard the vessel dur- Bester-class deep water
ing Monday's fire, whether vehicles, which have a hull
there were any survivors or built of titanium and are
if it was submerged at the capable of operating at
time. But Russian media re- a depth of 1,000 meters
ported it was the country's (3,281 feet). The small ve-
most secret submersible, hicles have a crew of two
a nuclear-powered vessel and are primarily intended
designed for sensitive mis- Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during their meet- for rescuing submariners in
sions at great depths. ing in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. case of incidents. Such ves-
President Vladimir Putin, Associated Press sels are transported to the
who came under criticism area of operation by a car-
for his handling of the Kursk had a special mission and viet-era animated cartoon one of its possible missions rier vessel and can operate
nuclear submarine disaster an elite crew. horse that is made up of could be disrupting com- autonomously for up to 120
in 2000 that killed 118 sail- "It's isn't a regular vessel. It's small spheres. munication cables on the hours.
ors, canceled a scheduled a research vessel with a The name is apparently de- seabed. The blaze marks the most
appearance and immedi- highly professional crew," rives from the unique de- The Losharik is carried under serious Russian naval di-
ately summoned Defense Putin said, adding that sign of its interior hull, which the hull of a mother subma- saster since 2008, when
Minister Sergei Shoigu for a seven of the dead had the is made of titanium spheres rine, the nuclear-powered 20 crewmembers died
briefing on the blaze, which rank of captain and two capable of withstand- Orenburg, and reportedly aboard the nuclear-pow-
was under investigation. were awarded the nation's ing high pressure at great has a crew of 25, all of ered Nerpa submarine in
"Fourteen submariners highest medal, the Hero of depths. them officers. the Pacific Fleet after a
have died of poisoning by Russia. In 2012, the Losharik was in- Russian news reports said firefighting system was ac-
fumes from the fire," Shoigu The fire occurred while the volved in research intend- that while the Losharik offi- cidentally initiated while it
told Putin during a tele- submersible was measuring ed to prove Russia's claim cially belongs to the North- was undergoing sea trials.
vised meeting. "The fire was sea depths in Russia's ter- on the vast Arctic seabed. ern Fleet, it answers directly The accident involving the
extinguished thanks to the ritorial waters, the ministry It collected samples from to the Defense Ministry's De- Kursk was the worst naval
crew's resolute action." said, adding that the vessel the depth of 2,500 meters partment for Deep-Sea Re- disaster in post-Soviet Rus-
Putin ordered Shoigu to also is used for studying the (8,202 feet), according search, reflecting the high sia. It occurred on Aug.
fly to the Arctic port of seabed. to official statements at sensitivity of its missions. 12, 2000, when the nuclear
Severomorsk, the main Russia's RBC online news the time. Regular subma- The vessel has been sur- submarine exploded and
base for Russia's Northern outlet and the Novaya rines can typically dive to rounded by tight secrecy, sank during maneuvers in
Fleet where the vessel was Gazeta newspaper identi- depths of up to 600 meters but in 2015, it was acciden- the Barents Sea, killing all
brought, to oversee the fied it as the nuclear-pow- (2,000 feet). tally caught on camera 118 crewmembers. Putin,
investigation and report ered AS-12 Losharik. Some observers speculated by a photographer from who was in his first year of
back to him personally. The vessel is the most ad- the Losharik was even ca- a motoring magazine do- his presidency, came un-
"It's a huge loss for the vanced Russian submers- pable of going as deep as ing a photo session on the der heavy criticism at the
navy," Putin said. "I offer my ible, under a heavy veil of 6,000 meters (19,685 feet), White Sea coast. time when he failed to im-
sincere condolences to the secrecy, and it is believed but the claims couldn't be Igor Britanov, who com- mediately interrupt his va-
families of the victims." to have entered service in independently confirmed. manded the Soviet K-219 cation to take charge of
He added that the vessel 2010. It is named after a So- Analysts suggested that nuclear submarine that suf- the disaster.q