The Russian President Vladimir Putin has met relatives of the sailors who died in the Kursk submarine. The meeting, which lasted three hours, was described as tense, with relatives demanding to know when their loved one's bodies would be recovered. Mr Putin had earlier visited the submarine's naval base in Severomorsk.
The Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev earlier apologised to the relatives of the crew of the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk for failing to save the 118 sailors. In a statement he asked for forgiveness for failing to protect the lives of the submariners and promised to do everything possible to support the families. Russia pronounced the crew of the Kursk dead yesterday after Norwegian deep-sea divers found the craft, lying at the bottom of the Arctic Barents Sea, was flooded.
Meanwhile, tomorrow has been designated a national day of mourning in Russia for the sailors who died trapped in their sunken submarine at the bottom of the Barents Sea. This evening it was confirmed that the Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend memorial services in the town of Dedyaevo, near the naval base at Severomorsk. The families of the crew of the Kursk live in Dedyaevo.
Putin’s handling of the crisis, in which 118 sailors were killed, has come in for unprecedented criticism in the Russia media; many relatives have accused the government and the Navy of insensitivity and incompetence.
About 500 relatives of the crew are being cared for at the naval compound where the Kursk was based. Attention now turns to the difficult task of recovering the bodies. The Kursk is in shallower waters than previous submarine disasters. However, one of the complications facing any recovery effort is the two nuclear reactors which powered the sub which are, for now, still intact. If the Kursk is left on the seabed or if attempts are made to lift it, there is the potential for a massive release of radioactivity.
A spokesman for the Stolt Company, which managed to open the escape hatch of the submarine yesterday, said that it had already begun planning the operation of recovering the bodies. The Norwegian vessel, the Seaway Eagle, has now left the disaster area. Its departure followed that of the British rescue mini-submarine.
The Russian Fleet Commander, Vyacheslav Popov, also asked for forgiveness from the bereaved relatives for failing to save the crewmembers. He said that the fleet had lost its best submarine crew.
