In an uncanny resemblance to the August 12, 2001 Kursk disaster in which 118 sailors were killed, a Russian nuclear-powered submarine sank in Arctic seas on Saturday as it was being towed into port for scrapping and up to nine servicemen were feared dead.The submarine sank to a depth of 170 metres in the stormy sea, with 10 crew members on board, as it was being towed from the town of Gremikha to a plant in the town of Polarnye to be scrapped. One sailor was rescued in a rescue operation, while the remaining nine were reported dead. The bodies of two sailors were also recovered.Dismissing fears of nuclear leakage, the chief of staff of Russian Navy, Viktor Kravechenko denied that the reactors of the submarine K-159, which sank in the Barents Sea, posed danger of nuclear contamination. He said the vessel’s nuclear reactors were shut down in 1989 upon decommissioning. Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said all weapons were removed from the vessel when it was decommissioned. An enquiry has been launched.
