Twenty people were killed and another 21 injured after the fire-safety system on new Russian nuclear-powered submarine malfunctioned yesterday.
The victims died of poisoning from Freon gas that was released yesterday during a test run in the Sea of Japan when the fire-extinguishing system was accidentally turned on, said Sergei Markin, an official with Russia’s top investigative agency.
His agency has started an investigation into the accident, which Mr Markin said will focus on what activated the firefighting system. He suggested there could be possible violations of operating rules.
The submarine was not damaged and travelled back to its base near Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast under its own power today, Russian navy spokesman Captain Igor Dygalo said.
The nuclear reactor that powers the sub was operating normally and radiation levels in the sub were also normal, he added.
Capt Dygalo said the deaths and injuries were due to the “unsanctioned activation” of the firefighting system in the two sections of the submarine closest to the bow.
Seventeen civilians and three seamen died in the accident and 21 others were taken to hospital after being evacuated to a destroyer that brought them to shore, Mr Markin said.
The submarine had 208 people aboard - or nearly three times more than its usual crew, including 81 servicemen - and was to be commissioned by the navy later this year.
Officials did not reveal the name of the submarine, but Russian news agencies quoted officials at the Amur Shipbuilding Factory saying the submarine was built there and is called the Nerpa.
Testing on the submarine began last month and it submerged for the first time last week.
The Kremlin said President Dmitry Medvedev was told about the accident immediately and ordered a thorough investigation.
It was Russia’s worst naval accident since torpedo explosions sank another nuclear-powered submarine, the Kursk, in the Barents Sea in 2000, killing all 118 seamen aboard.
Saturday’s accident came as the Kremlin is seeking to restore Russia’s naval reach, part of a drive to show off the nuclear-armed country’s clout amid strained ties with the West.
PA