|
According to the BBC report, the Russian defence ministry said the
nuclear reactors on the vessel were already shut down when the
fire broke out. All weapons had also been removed from the
submarine before it entered the dock, the ministry said.
As a huge plume of smoke billowed into the sky a Russian defence
ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, insisted there was no major
risk from the fire, said the BBC news item.
"The power unit was switched off and is now safe," Igor told
Russian state television.
"The fire cannot spread into the sub. There is no threat to
onboard technical equipment."
Russian news agencies later said the submarine had been partially
submerged in the dock to help extinguish the blaze.
The Yekaterinburg is a Delta-IV-class nuclear submarine. It was
commissioned by the Soviet Union in 1985 and can carry 16
intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Safety on Russian navy submarines is a sensitive issue for the
military following the Kursk disaster in August 2000.
The Kursk nuclear submarine sank in the Barents Sea off north-west
Russia, killing all 118 seamen on board.
Investigators concluded that an
explosion of fuel from one of its torpedoes caused the sinking.
Main/Other Sources:
Russian
nuclear submarine in repair dock fire - BBC News
Fire breaks out during Russian nuclear sub repairs, no radiation threat
- RIA NOVOSTI
|
