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Repair work resumed at Oryol nuclear sub damaged by fire in northwest Russia

The Oryol (K-266) nuclear submarine (Project 949A Antey) at the Zvyozdochka shipyard in the city of Severodvinsk in northwest Russia's Arkhangelsk Region caught fire on April 7
The Oryol (K-266) nuclear submarine ITAR-TASS Archive/Andrey Gorelovsky
The Oryol (K-266) nuclear submarine
© ITAR-TASS Archive/Andrey Gorelovsky

ARKHANGELSK, April 15. /TASS/. Scheduled repair work resumed on Wednesday at the Oryol nuclear submarine damaged by fire earlier in the month, Zvyozdochka shipyard spokesman Yevgeny Gladyshev told TASS.

The Oryol (K-266) nuclear submarine (Project 949A Antey) at the Zvyozdochka shipyard in the city of Severodvinsk in northwest Russia's Arkhangelsk Region caught fire on April 7. Insulation rubber coverings in the interhull space in the stern section of the nuclear sub lying up flamed up during welding work.

All people on board — employees of the enterprise and submarine personnel — left the submarine quickly, no one was injured. Nuclear fuel from the atom-powered vessel had been unloaded and there were no armaments on board. The fire was extinguished by midnight.

The sub has been undergoing a major overhaul at the shipyard since November 2013, as a result of which it is to receive new missile weapons.

Russia’s Investigative Committee launched a criminal case over the fire at the Oryol submarine. The case was launched under the Russian Criminal Code’s Article "Violation of safety regulations during work, which entailed large-scale damage due to negligence."

Earlier Zvyozdochka representatives assessed the damage inflicted by fire as "insignificant." The enterprise’s leadership assured the Defense Ministry that the repairs will be completed in time, and the sub will return to its service in the Navy in the fourth quarter of 2016.