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| Britain |
| Two sailors killed on submarine |
| 2007-03-21 |
| Two British sailors have died in an accident on a nuclear submarine. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed there had been an explosion on HMS Tireless during an exercise under the Arctic icecap at 0420 GMT on Wednesday. One other member of the crew of the Devonport-based submarine was injured and is receiving medical treatment. Failed air-purification equipment is thought to have caused the explosion. The MoD expressed its "deep regret" and said an inquiry would be carried out. The SSN Attack Submarine was on a joint British-American exercise off the coast of Alaska when the incident happened. The MoD said a small explosion had caused "a small amount of smoke", which had been contained in the equipment and the immediate area. The MoD said the ship's company dealt with the incident "quickly and professionally" and, as a result, there was only superficial damage to the forward compartment. A spokesman said the reactor was unaffected by the accident and stressed Tireless was not one of the submarines that carries Trident missiles. The submarine was safe and on the surface, it confirmed. An injured sailor was airlifted to a military hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage with non life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. In a statement, the MoD said: "The two members of the crew died as a result of the initial accident. Their next of kin have been informed and our sympathies are with them and their friends at this difficult time." Tireless was launched in 1985, but the piece of air-purification machinery thought to have failed was fitted as part of an update in 2001. The piece of equipment which malfunctioned is fitted to all Trafalgar Class submarines. The MoD said it had a 100% safety record to date but, as a precaution, its use on other boats would be restricted until safety checks could be carried out. |
| Posted by:Steve White |