Some crew members have survived a fire that killed 14 sailors onboard one of the Russian navy’s deep-sea research submersibles, Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu said.
Shoigu didn’t specify how many crew members were rescued from the fire. Speaking at the navy’s Arctic base of Severomorsk, he praised the vessel’s crew for "heroic" action, saying they sacrificed their lives to rescue a civilian expert and save the ship after the fire erupted.
The Russian defense minister stressed those who died were "high professionals" and "unique experts."
"The submariners acted heroically in the critical situation. They evacuated a civilian expert from the compartment that was engulfed by fire and shut the door to prevent the fire from spreading further and fought for the ship’s survival until the end," the AP cited Shoigu as saying.
On July 2, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on the death of 14 sailors during a fire onboard a submersible in Russia’s territorial waters on July 1. The accident occurred while the submersible was conducting bathymetric measurements. The submersible vehicle is now at the Severomorsk naval base, and the accident is being investigated.
