One dead in Russian sub 'blast'

The Kursk disaster brought to light safety issues in the Russian navy

Reports have emerged of an incident on board a submarine in the Russian Far East in which one sailor was killed.

Russian naval officials say the man died after a release of pressure from a ruptured pipe, but other reports speak of an explosion in a cooling tank.

NTV television said the vessel, which was docked on the Kamchatka peninsula, may be a K-211 class nuclear submarine.

The date of the incident is not clear, although the funeral of the man, Dmitry Koval, was reportedly held on Friday.

A commission has been set up to investigate the incident.

Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt Igor Dygalo said the submarine suffered minor damage and was still operational.

NTV said two more sailors were injured.

The TV also suggested Koval might have used his body to put out a fire on the submarine, thus preventing a torpedo explosion which would have caused more casualties.

There have been a number of serious incidents involving Russia's aging submarine fleet in recent years, most notably the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in August 2000 which led to the deaths of 118 sailors.

Nine others died three years later when a K-159 submarine was caught in a storm in the Barents Sea on its way to port for decommissioning.