Rescuers race to save sailors

2005-08-06 20:50

Vladimir Isachenkov

Russia - US and British planes carrying robotic undersea vehicles landed in Russia's Far East on Saturday to help rescue seven sailors trapped in a mini-submarine with a dwindling air supply deep in the Pacific Ocean.

As the foreign crews scrambled to reach the site off the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, Russian rescue crews focused on an effort to lift the sub along with the underwater antenna unit that it has been snared on some 190 metres below the surface since Thursday.

Authorities plan to use the unmanned American and British submersibles, known as Super Scorpios, to investigate the accident site and possibly cut the 13.5 metre-long sub loose.

Pacific Fleet commander Adm Viktor Fyodorov later said a ship with British equipment and rescuers should arrive at the site by 09:00 local time on Sunday (20:00 GMT on Saturday), Interfax reported.

Rescuers made contact with the crew on Saturday evening and said their condition was "satisfactory" despite temperatures of 5-7 degrees Celsius, Fyodorov said. It wasn't clear if they spoke with the men by radio or made contact through some other means.

"I assure you, work is continuing without interruption through night and day and will not stop until we actually lift our guys up to the surface," Fyodorov said.

Russia's plea for international assistance underlined the deficiencies of its once-mighty navy and strongly contrasted with the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk five years ago, when authorities held off asking for help until hope was nearly exhausted; all 118 crew died in that accident.

But even with Moscow's quick call for help, rescue workers were racing to reach the men in time. Navy estimates of air supply vary.

Rear Adm Vladimir Pepelyayev, deputy head of the navy's general staff, said the air would likely last to the end of the day and possibly through Sunday. Fyodorov gave a similar estimate, but later was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying there was enough to last until Monday.

"I think it should be enough to last to the end of the (rescue) operation," Pepelyayev said.

Georgy Romanovich, spokesperson for the rescue operation headquarters, said it would take five hours for ships carrying the equipment to reach the site in Beryozovaya Bay, about 75 kilometres south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

- SAPA