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Fire in a Russian nuclear submarine, 9 injured
No radioactive leaks, but firefighters have inhaled hazardous fumes. The fire originated in a scaffolding of wood used for maintenance. The submarine Yekaterinburg is a Delta IV, a type of vessel built in 1984 during the Cold War.
Moscow (AsiaNews / Agencies) - At least 9 firefighters were injured in the fire broke out aboard a Russian nuclear submarine at the shipyard in the Murmansk region in the north on the border with Norway. According to news agency Interfax, there is no danger of radioactive leaks. Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Defense, assured that technicians had removed the two nuclear reactors on board the Yekaterinburg submarine when it docked in the port. The cause of the explosion are still unclear, but many think it is a problem of poor maintenance.
The fire broke out on wooden scaffolding that surrounded the submarine and has spread all over the hull. The 11 firefighters took nine hours to extinguish the flames. However, even at the end of operations on-site witnesses have reported high columns of smoke at least 10 meters. In fact, as confirmed also by the Russian Minister for Emergencies Sergei Shoigu, the most serious situation concerns the 9 firefighters, who have inhaled radioactive fumes.
Konashenkov reported that, to avoid a new outbreak, the technicians will drop the submersible in water before resuming operations maintenance.
The Yekaterinburg submarine is a Delta IV class vessel, a type of boat commissioned in 1985 by former Soviet Union. These submarines can carry up to 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles. Analysts believe that Russia has six Delta IV submarines, which constitute the backbone of its nuclear defenses based at sea.