Russia: No nuclear danger after submersible fire

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Thursday reaffirmed the absence of nuclear contamination following Tuesday's incident involving a deep submersible in the Barents Sea.

On July 1, a fire broke out on a naval deep-sea research vessel, while the crew was taking biometric measurements. At least 14 servicemen died from inhaling toxic fumes from the fire. Seven of those killed were high-ranking military officers.

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Shoigu said a nuclear power unit on the submersible has been isolated and protected.

"The nuclear power unit on the submersible is completely isolated and deserted. Plus, the crew performed all the necessary measures to protect the unit, which is fully operational. This allows us to hope for a fairly short time to restore the power unit," he added.

According to the minister, the fire erupted in the vessel’s battery compartment causing further damages.

He said experts are examining the vessel to evaluate terms and cost of reparation.