Russian submarine sinks

Russian submarine sinks

Russian submarine sinks

A nuclear submarine carrying at least 10 crew has sunk in the Barents Sea.

Interfax news agency reports that of the ten, one man has been rescued whilst the bodies of two others had been found.

The submarine was a K-159 and was on its was to be scrapped, as it had not been in use since 1989.

Due to its decommissioned status there were no weapons on board and there is no danger of nuclear contamination.

A spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry said that the nuclear reactor was shut down when it sank at 0400 local time (0300 BST).

It is believed that the cause of the incident was heavy seas off the coast of Kildin Island. At the time of the incident, the submarine was being toed on four floating hulls to be scrapped.

The latest sinking comes three years after the worst peacetime naval disaster in Russian history when the Kursk sank in the Barents Sea killing all 118 of its crew.