20 killed in accident on Russian submarine
Russian officials said a fault in the submarine's firefighting system led to the accident
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Sunday, 09, Nov 2008 09:33
At least 20 people have died and a further 21 suffered injuries after an accident occurred on a Russian submarine.
Russian officials have launched an investigation into the incident, which is said to have occurred in the firefighting system on the nuclear-powered vessel, but are yet to release details of the type of submarine involved.
Speaking about the accident, navy spokesman Captain Igor Dygalo said: "During sea trials of a nuclear-powered submarine of the Pacific Fleet the firefighting system went off unsanctioned, killing over 20 people, including servicemen and workers."
He added that the accident had not affected the ship's nuclear energy facilities and that there were no safety fears for people living in the area.
At the time of the accident, a total of 208 people were serving on the ship. There were 81 servicemen on board while the remainder where technicians and shipyard staff. The 21 navy staff injured are currently receiving treatment for their injuries.
The accident is the worst in terms of the number of casualties since the Kursk submarine sank in 2000 which claimed 118 lives.