A soldier died in Thursday’s blaze on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov (the former name – Leonid Brezhnev) in Murmansk; his body was found during the battle against fire, the Northern Fleet’s press service reports.
One person is missing; 12 people are injured. One of them is in serious condition and another 11 are in moderately grave state.
A carrier chamber, where the welding work was being done, was a flash point; the fire covered an area of about 600 square metres.According to preliminary information, igniting might have been caused by safety regulations. However, the effects are not critical, as the blaze destroyed the frames that were to have been replaced during the renovation, the Russian newspaper Kommersant said on Friday.
In October 2016, the Russian squadron passed through the English Channel in the direction of the Mediterranean Sea and Syria. Among the vessels was heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov; it’s power plant was releasing black smoke into the sky, which triggered a lot of comments and jokes about its being an environmental threat.
In October 2018, the dock in which Admiral Kuznetsov was being renovated in Murmansk was flooded. Two people were killed. A heavy crane fell on the deck of the ship during the accident, but the Ministry of Defense assured that there was no significant damage. It was announced then that the renovation works would be completed on a scheduled basis – in the year of 2022.
Admiral Kuznetsov, the only Russian aircraft carrier and the largest naval ship of the Russian Navy, is undergoing modernization of its electrical system, radio engineering equipment and anti-aircraft defense weapons.
