Rescue Efforts Continue for Russian Sub

The Russian military continued their efforts Tuesday to rescue a nuclear submarine sunken at the bottom of the Barents Sea since Sunday, but little results have been achieved so far, Russian media reported.

The crewmen of the multipurpose "Kursk" are still alive, but the situation at the site of the accident was worsening amid high seas and strong winds.

"Rescue ships have been swept off anchor," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov as saying.

The more than 100 sailors aboard the Kursk will be evacuated, said Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov, who heads the government commission probing the causes of the accident.

Klebanov said the sub's special locks and the underwater rescue apparatus should allow the evacuation.

He admitted that "the situation is grave," but Moscow does not want to request assistance from other countries in dealing with the consequences of the accident or evacuating the crew.

The United States, France and Britain had offered assistance, Klebanov said.

"We have all the necessary technical capabilities that are no worse than American," he said.

The authorities have not yet established the causes of the accident, which occurred Sunday when the Kursk was participating in a routine exercise of the Russian Northern Fleet.

Fleet spokesman Vladimir Navrotsky said high winds had prevented two underwater rescue apparatus from docking with the emergency hatch of the sub and guaranteeing electricity supplies and the functioning of life-support systems on Kursk.

However, acoustic communications continue with the crew with both sides sending sound signals and deciphering the messages, the Interfax news agency quoted Navrotsky as saying.

He said the crew members are alive because there is oxygen and food aboard, but that he could not rule out the possibility of casualties among the sailors.

The "Kursk" was commissioned for the Russian Navy in 1995. It has a displacement of 14,700-23,860 tons and can dive to depths of up to 500 meters. The submarine is armed with torpedoes and "Granite" cruise missiles. The vessel can operate autonomously for up to 120 days and carries a 107-man crew, including 52 officers, Interfax reported.



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