Difficulties mount for Kursk recovery

The Kursk: 23 men remained alive after the explosion

A senior Russian naval commander has said he doubts that the bodies of all 23 sailors who survived the initial blast in the Kursk submarine can be recovered.

Northern Fleet commander Admiral Vyacheslav Popov said the ninth section of the vessel - where recovery efforts are being concentrated - may be so damaged that divers cannot reach all parts of it.

He added that the recovery operation, which has been halted because of bad weather, was not likely to resume before late on Saturday.

The new doubts about the operation came as a horrific picture emerged of the aftermath of the two powerful explosions on board the Russian nuclear submarine which sent it to the bottom of the Barents Sea.

Injuries to some of the bodies recovered by divers suggest a serious fire swept through the vessel, and that crew members were pelted with flying debris during the blasts.

The Kursk - one of the Russian navy's most advanced vessels - sank on 12 August. All 118 sailors on board perished. It is still not clear what caused the explosions.

Falling debris

Speaking to victims' relatives, the commander of the Russian fleet, Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, said: "It seems a strong fire was raging in the section.

"Some are not burnt but all of them had been hit by boxes containing spares and accessories - all the things which fell down when the submarine hit the seabed were killing the people."

Lieutenant Kolesnikov: "None of us can get to the surface"

The grim revelations about the fate of the crew follows the discovery of a note recording the last hours of Lieutenant Dmitry Kolesnikov, as he and 22 crewmates were left trapped in darkness in the stern of the shattered Kursk.

The sailor's letter has led to renewed grief and anger in Russia as it contradicts official statements in the wake of the disaster that the Kursk's crew died almost instantly.

Click here for a graphic of Kursk recovery mission

In his note, Lt Kolesnikov writes: "All the crew from the sixth, seventh and eighth compartments went over to the ninth. There are 23 people here. We made the decision because of the accident. None of us can get to the surface."

It ends with the stark words: "I am writing blindly."

The note was found in Lt Kolesnikov's pocket, when his body and four others were recovered by divers searching the Kursk's rear sections on Wednesday.

Authorities attacked

Its discovery has rekindled severe criticism of the authorities by the Russian media which accuses officials of failing to give accurate information about the Kursk's sinking and delaying an international rescue attempt.

Olga Kolesnikov believes her husband foretold his death

The Noviye Izvestia newspaper's headline states bluntly: "They were alive", while the Sevodnya daily records: "In Kursk's ninth section, they could not wait for help long enough."

Speaking to Russian television, Lt Kolesnikov's widow spoke of her grief and said she believed that her husband had a premonition of his death.

Olga Kolesnikov said her husband had left behind his dog tag and a crucifix, and referred to a poem he had written to her before leaving to rejoin his crewmates aboard the Kursk in the summer.

'They were alive'

The mother of 19-year-old Aleksei Nekrasov, the youngest sailor to perish aboard the Kursk, spoke of her anger, and attacked officials for keeping relatives in the dark.

Widows of the Kursk's officers have visited the recovery operation

"They were alive - they lied to us that they had all died," she said.

Nadezhda Nekrasov also revealed that her son had served under Lt. Kolesnikov, who she called "a wonderful man".

"They were a very close crew and Aleksei was very satisfied with everything. He said it was the best crew and the best vessel," she said.

Harsh weather conditions are continuing to delay efforts to recover more bodies from the submarine, which lies at a depth of 108 metres (355ft).

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