Russia’s only aircraft carrier catches fire; 6 believed injured and 1 missing
Dec 12, 2019, 6:11 AM
Mil.ru
(CNN) — Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, caught fire on Thursday morning during repair work in Russia’s Arctic Sea port of Murmansk, according to Russian state news agencies.
Six people are thought to have been injured and one person is believed to be missing so far, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
The fire broke out during maintenance work in the first power unit and a thick plume of black smoke was seen from the upper deck.
The area currently ablaze covers 120 square meters (1,292 square feet). Diesel fuel is currently burning, and firefighters are using foam to try to bring it under control.
The press service of the Zvyozdochka ship repair center said the specialists working onboard the vessel have been evacuated, TASS reported.
A source with the emergency services told TASS that firefighters cannot reach the source of fire because of heavy smoke from burning cables.
Admiral Kuznetsov is the Russian navy’s largest warship and its sole aircraft carrier capable of carrying horizontal take-off and landing aircraft, according to TASS.
The warship made its first combat deployment in 2016, in the Mediterranean Sea, when its deck-based fighter jets delivered strikes in Syria.
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