Rescuers Fail to Reach Russian N-sub Crew

The situation of 118 crew of a Russian nuclear submarine trapped on the sea bed was described as "next to catastrophic" by the country's premier on Thursday as a British rescue mini-sub was steaming to the site.

Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told a cabinet meeting there was still hope that the sailors were alive, but the Navy's spokesman confirmed they had stopped pounding SOS signals on the hull and had not been heard from in days.

"There has been no progress," said a duty officer in the Northern Fleet's home port of Severomorsk on Thursday after overnight efforts to rescue the sailors with a Russian capsule were thwarted yet again by bad weather and visibility.

The British mini-sub and crew sailed from the Norwegian port of Trondheim on Thursday morning aboard a supply ship for a 50-hour voyage to try to save the sailors, trapped at the bottom of the Barents Sea, amid fears they would be too late to save the oxygen-starved crew.

Navy commander Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov estimated earlier this week that the crew would run out of oxygen by Friday but later said it might last until next week. Some analysts have said only hours of air are left.

British officials said the capsule could not be flown closer because it needed to be mounted on a specialised mother ship.

"We've got to be optimistic. There's always a chance," commander Alan Hoskins of the British rescue team said before setting sail.

Russian television said the weather was improving by Thursday. CNN showed grainy footage filmed from the air over the rescue scene, with clearing skies but evidence of strong wind.

But in the Kursk's home port Severomorsk, closed to all except those with special permits, hope for a successful rescue appeared to be fading and residents whispered darkly about a submarine already filled with frozen corpses.

Russia's media handed President Vladimir Putin some of his harshest criticism since taking office. Putin made his first public appearance only on Wednesday, and accepted Western help in the rescue effort nearly three days after it was offered.

PRESS ATTACKS PUTIN

"The sailors on the Kursk fell silent yesterday," wrote the popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda in bold red type. "Why has the president been silent?"

"Why on earth did he think it was possible to keep mum for five days, when the entire nation has spent those days consumed by only one thought - will they be saved or won't they?"

Izvestia, a widely-read liberal daily, wrote: "Together with the K-141 (Kursk) has sunk people's fate that the state can protect them from danger. It is the authorities themselves who have hit the bottom, together with the K-141." The navy's deputy chief of staff Vladislav Ilyin told RTR television on Wednesday that Putin, on holiday in a southern Black Sea resort, had given the order to accept foreign help only after speaking by telephone to US President Bill Clinton.

GLOOM IN SUB'S HOME PORT

Residents in the Kursk's home port braced for the worst.

"Some in Severomorsk are saying that the naval command has already ordered the preparation of graves," said an elderly man, Valentin Sergeyevich, who did not want to give his last name.

The people of the region, where the sea pervades life and many are Navy veterans, have been drawn into the rescue saga, many turning out at churches to pray.

"Among the people of north Russia there is not one person who remains unmoved," Governor Yuri Yevdokimov said in a statement. "The sailor's families should know that thousands and thousands of people are living with the hope of a fast and positive outcome."

In Washington a US intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US surveillance indicated there had been two explosions on board the submarine, the second much bigger than the first.

Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev said evidence still pointed to a collision as a likely cause of the accident. Other officials have said a blast on board was more likely.

In Berlin Karl Lamers, a senior German foreign policy expert, said Western countries had repeatedly warned of the risk of a major disaster from Russia's nuclear fleet because of budget cuts on its armed forces.

"There is no question the insufficient resources devoted to the Russian armed forces by the government are one of the causes for this catastrophic situation," Lamers, opposition foreign affairs spokesman, said.





People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/