SEVEROMORSK,(Russia), NOV 5: A Russian diver got inside the fourth compartment of the wrecked submarine Kursk on Sunday as the operation to retrieve bodies from the ill-fated craft entered its final week, navy officials said.After filming the inside of the compartment, where there may be at least 12 bodies, the navy concluded that the damage was less severe than in the neighbouring section where work was called off for safety reasons.However, hampered by his bulky diving suit and only a headlight to guide him through the pitch darkness, the diver could only move forward a metre (three feet). "The diver will now try to clear away debris obstructing his path and gain access to the living quarters," Northern Fleet spokesman Vladimir Navrotsky said, speaking from this northwestern Russian Port city.On Saturday, the team of 18 Russian and Norwegian divers made a hole in the compartment, located in the boat's mid-section. Usually, 12 sailors would have been stationed in the fourth compartment, which housed a canteen and sleeping quarters. But up to 30 submariners could have been there at the time of the August 12 accident, naval sources said. Only 12 bodies - all of which have been identified - have been recovered so far in the operation which authorities announced on Saturday will end on November 11, three weeks since it began. The Kursk sank on August 12, 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the northern coast of Russia, after two powerful explosions sent the boat to the bottom the Barents Sea, killing all 118 aboard. Russia's most modern nuclear submarine, it lies more than 100 metres (330 feet) under the icy Arctic waters.
