Russia says no nuclear contamination after sub fire

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday there is no danger of nuclear contamination after a fire broke out on a naval deep-sea research vessel, killing 14 crew members.

The ministry said in a statement that it did not alert the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority about radiation at the site of the incident, countering reports from some media outlets that said it had warned Norwegian authorities about the possibility of nuclear contamination.

The vessel caught fire on July 1 while its crew were taking biometric measurements in the Barents Sea.

The 14 sailors reportedly died from inhaling toxic fumes from the fire. Seven of those killed were high-ranking military officers, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu.

Putin ordered Shoygu to fly to the Arctic port of Severomorsk, where the vessel was brought, to personally investigate what happened.