Fire on Icebreaker Vaigach Liquidated

15.12.2011 The fire on board nuclear-powered icebreaker Vaigach has been brought under control, reports EMERCOM, Krasnoyarsk branch. As a result of fire, two crewmembers died, 55-year old engineer and 35-year old chief foreman.

Another crewmember whose age in uncertain has upper respiratory tracts burnt. The sufferer was evacuated by ambulance helicopter.

The fire onboard the icebreaker moored at Karaul, Taimyr Peninsula occurred on Tuesday, Dec 15 at 5.24 am (local time). Three cabins were on fire. Firefighters arrived less than in an hour and managed to neutralize the fire.

There was neither a threat to the icebreaker's nuclear reactor nor radioactive contamination of environment. West Siberian Transport Procuracy initiated an inquiry to reveal the circumstances of the incident. Investigative group including officers of FSB, EMERCOM, and Investigative Committee has departed for the accident site.

No official versions of the fire cause have been promulgated so far. At the same time, interviewees of Interfax said that one of the accident causes was violation of safety rules by the crew.

Icebreaker Vaigach used for escorting of vessels into Siberian rivers was built by a Finnish shipyard under order of the USSR and put into operation in 1990. The crew consists of 89 men.