Kursk Accident Due to Torpedo Explosion

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, July 02, 2002

Kursk Accident Due to Torpedo Explosion

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The Kursk submarine tragedy that killed 118 crew members was caused by an explosion of fuel in one of its torpedoes, the governmental commission investigating the accident has found, according to a news report Monday.

The Interfax news agency said Vice Admiral Valery Dorogin, a parliament deputy and member of the commission studying the accident, said that the fuel in the 65-76 Kit (Whale) torpedo used in the Kursk was at fault. The announcement of the commission's findings indicated that the investigation into the explosion and sinking of the nuclear submarine was complete, closing a chapter on one of the nation's biggest recent disasters.

Repeated calls to Dorogin's office went unanswered.

Dorogin told Interfax that after the first explosion the fire and increase in pressure caused all other ammunition on the submarine to detonate.

All crew members in the submarine's first compartment and some in the second died immediately after the first explosion, Dorogin said. The second explosion signaled doom for the entire craft, he said.

The commission decided on its final findings at a meeting Saturday and members have signed a document marking the completion of their work, Dorogin said.

Russia has already put out of service all torpedoes of that type, which use highly volatile hydrogen peroxide for a propellant and have reportedly been in navy service since the early 1970s. The torpedoes have a higher speed and range compared with conventional torpedoes powered by electric engines - advantages that, according to reports, prompted the Navy to neglect concerns about its unstable fuel.

Earlier reports have said the torpedo was damaged while being loaded into the Kursk before its final journey and the crew reported trouble with the weapon to their superiors. Russian officials denied those reports.

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