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Divers to Enter Russian Sunken Sub Inner Hull Early Monday
The divers operating on the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sinking in the Barents Sea during an August drill may get inside the vessel's inner hull to search for sailors' bodies at 6 a.m. Moscow time (0200 GMT) Monday, a Russian North Fleet spokesman said Sunday evening.
The divers have cut a 120-millimeter-diameter hole in the outer hull of the submarine's eighth compartment Sunday. Now they are removing the pipes and fittings that block the access to the inner hull. Equipment is being brought to the wrecked submarine to cut a larger hole. Everything is OK with the divers, Russia's Northern Fleet Commander Admiral Vyacheslav Popov told reporters late Sunday, who is supervising the salvage operation.
The divers will manage to enlarge the drilled hole and cut a hole in the second hull of the boat Sunday night, and will get ready to enter the sub's bosom on early Monday morning if their work is not forced to slow down, spokesman for the Northern Fleet Vladimir Navrodsky said.
It is necessary to clear the space between the outer and inner hulls from pipes and fittings that hamper the work. Military experts say the preparations for drilling the second hole will take more than 10 hours. Only after that, the divers can go ahead.
The divers have taken water samples from the eighth unit of the Kursk and tests show that the radiation background inside the sub is normal, the spokesman said.
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