Hopes are fading of finding survivors in the Russian nuclear submarine, Kursk, which is lying in 108 metres of water in the Barents Sea. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Ilya Klebanov, said this evening that the 118 crew were probably in the part of the vessel devastated by a massive shock last weekend. But he added that the sailors probably had enough time to escape to another part of the submarine as it plunged to the bottom.
Up to two thirds of the sailors on board the Kursk may have been killed by an initial explosion which caused it to sink, according to an expert this evening. Paul Beaver, spokesman for Jane's Information Group, said that from what they knew of the extent of the damage, it was possible that between 30 and 40% of the crew might have survived the initial blast. One suggested scenario was that a torpedo exploded, setting off a much bigger explosion and sending the submarine crashing to the bottom in seconds.
Meanwhile, Admiral Alexandr Pobozhy, deputy chief of the Russian Navy, who is in Brussels for talks, said the men on the Kursk could survive for about two or three weeks. A British Navy rescue submersible is being shipped from Norway to the accident site, but is not expected to arrive until Saturday, a full week after the Kursk sank.
Russian President, Vladamir Putin, is coming under increasing pressure from the Russian media over his handling of efforts to rescue the sailors. Russian media reports say that Mr Putin may have known about the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine before he left for a Black Sea resort, where he is currently holidaying.
The President broke his silence on the issue yesterday, five days after the submarine sank. Latest reports now say that the Russian authorities knew about the incident as early as last Saturday morning. In a poll conducted by a Moscow radio station today, nearly 75% of listeners said that they thought Mr Putin should cut short his holidays to deal with the crisis.
British forces, equipped with a rescue submarine, have sailed from the Norwegian port of Trondheim to join the operation to try to save the sailors. The rescue craft and its crew are on board a Norwegian supply ship that is expected to reach the scene of the operation on Saturday morning. The LR5 mini-sub, which is designed especially for this kind of rescue situation, was unloaded from a giant cargo plane in Trondheim yesterday evening, after being flown in from Scotland. Work continued through the night to load it onto the Norwegian ship, which is normally used to service the offshore oil industry. It has had to be modified, in order to carry the vessel. Norwegian specialist divers will not arrive at the scene until Sunday, one day later than planned.
Just before 9.00am (Irish time), the Normand Pioneer cast off and put out to sea. One of the questions being asked is whether the mini-sub could not have been flown directly to Murmansk, which is about 100 miles from the scene of the accident. But it has already been difficult to find a location, which has everything that was needed: an airport, a seaport with the right kind of crane, and a specialised ship like the Normand Pioneer. A separate vessel is being sent with up to 15 Norwegian deep-sea divers.
The Russian Navy has failed in several efforts to save the crew of the vessel. Varying accounts have been coming from the Russian Navy, on how much oxygen the sailors have left. No sounds have been heard from the submarine since early yesterday. The most optimistic view is that the crewmembers are resting, to conserve oxygen.
Russia formally requested help from Britain and Norway yesterday. The leader of the Royal Navy submarine rescue unit, Commander Alan Hoskins, said that the British rescue attempt would differ from the failed Russian efforts. Commodore Tim Chittenden, who is co-ordinating the British rescue team from its base at Foxhill in Bristol, said that they hoped the Russian crew were still alive. The Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, has said that the situation was "next to catastrophic", but that he hoped there was still a chance to save the crew.
