M A I N   N E W S

No sub survivors likely

LONDON, Aug 19 (AFP, DPA) — A supply ship carrying the British navy LR5 rescue submarine has come to a halt about 8 km from the site of the sunken Kursk submarine, a Royal Navy spokesman said here today.

Commander Mike Finney said the planned rescue mission using the submersible would go ahead, in spite of warnings from the Russian navy that the chances of finding anyone alive on the vessel had virtually disappeared.

He added that it was now likely that a team of Norwegian divers would dive to the wrecked Kursk and carry out a damage assessment before the LR5 goes into action.

MOSCOW: Hopes faded for rescuing the 118 sailors aboard the stricken Russian submarine in the Barents Sea on Saturday as a Russian navy spokesman said the situation was “beyond critical.”

Reports from the scene said even after the LR5 arrived, it might be hours before Russian crew finished readying the shattered hull of the Kursk for a docking attempt by the British submersible.

Hopes grew fainter still after Russian navy film showed massive damage reaching from the bow of the submarine to the conning tower, indicating the control centre and living quarters had been flooded.

The forward escape hatch was made unusable, as was the internal escape capsule, located in the conning tower. The port torpedo hatch on the starboard side was shown to be wide open.

Hopes were further hit after a break in the weather allowed a Russian rescue capsule to finally reach the rear escape hatch, only to find blast damage prevented an airtight seal being made over it.

Calling the situation “beyond critical”, Russian navy spokesman Ivan Dygalo said the damage to the aft escape hatch on the Kursk “was proving an insurmountable obstacle”.

“Many times underwater rescue tried to latch onto (the escape hatch) but they can’t seal it properly,” he said.