A filephoto taken in August, 2000 shows an AS-28
mini-sub (left), which is of the same model with the stranded Russian sub. --
Xinhua/AFP
Rescue vessels from the Russian Pacific Fleet have managed to catch an
underwater object in their trawling nets, but it was unclear whether it is the
trapped mini-submarine, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet told the Interfax news
agency.
"I would estimate the situation to be 51 percent in our favor,"the spokesman
said.
"The cable is being strained now. If it is the mini-submarine, then it will
be pulled up to a depth of 100 meters, so that divers could work on its body,"
he said.
The AS-28 mini-submarine got entangled with a fishnet Thursday night on the
seabed off the Kamchatka Peninsula, about 200 km south of Kamchatka's regional
capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The submarine was at a depth of 190 meters,
too far down to allow the crew to evacuate.
Russian Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Viktor Fyodorov said a comprehensive
operation to rescue the mini-submarine will start ina few hours time. Ten
vessels, including two rescue ships and a sea towboat, are currently involved in
the operation.
Reports on supplies aboard for the crew varied from one to three days worth
of food, water and oxygen, but medical experts warned conditions on the vessel
are worsening.
Fyodorov told Russia's Channel One television that the submarine had only
enough air onboard to last "a bit more than 24 hours," but he was later quoted
by Interfax as saying the vessel had enough air to last until Aug. 8.
Russia asked Japan, the United States and Britain to assist the rescue
operation hours after the news of the accident broke out.
Japan's Defense Agency has dispatched four vessels of the Maritime
Self-Defense Force to join the rescue efforts but it would take three to four
days for the vessels to reach the accident site.
A US plane carrying 30 rescuers and two unmanned Super Scorpio deep diving
submarines is set to leave San Diego, California, at 10:30 p.m. Moscow time
(1830 GMT) and expected to arrive in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at 7:00 a.m.
Moscow time (0300 GMT) Saturday at the earliest, Interfax said.
Britain will airlift a Scorpio underwater rescue vehicle, capable of cutting
iron covering or cables, Anton Atrashkin, spokesman for the British Embassy in
Moscow, told Interfax.
"The equipment is being loaded onto a C-17 aircraft, which will soon leave
Prestwick airport outside Glasgow for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where it is
expected to arrive in about 11 hours time," Atrashkin said.