A sailor injured in a fire that disabled a Canadian submarine died Wednesday of his injuries, Britain's Ministry of Defense and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said.
The diesel-powered submarine drifted in the Atlantic as British ships battled through rough weather to reach it and the 54 crew members who remained on board.
PHOTO: EPA
Britain's military airlifted Lieutenant Chris Saunders and two other injured sailors from the vessel earlier Wednesday. Martin said Saunders had died during the airlift but provided no further details.
"He gave his life serving his country and we owe his family our deepest condolences," Martin told Canada's House of Commons in Ottawa. "We pay him homage and we make known our deep respect to his family."
Rescuers had intended to take the three injured men to a hospital in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, but had to divert on short notice to Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland, because Saunders' condition deteriorated and he needed immediate treatment.
Officials had initially described the Tuesday electrical fire aboard the HMCS Chicoutimi as small.
But Commodore Tyrone Pile, commander of the Canadian Atlantic Fleet, said Wednesday it was "a major fire" that was worse than first thought.
Lawmakers in Ottawa observed a moment of silence in honor of Saunders, a father of two.
There was no immediate word on the condition of the two other crew members brought to Sligo for treatment, but the hospital said they were able to walk. Canadian officials said a total of nine people had suffered smoke inhalation from the blaze.
The six others did not require hospitalization and remained aboard the submarine, adrift about 185km northwest of Ireland. No injuries were reported among the remaining members of a crew that originally numbered 57.
The Chicoutimi was only four days into its maiden voyage as a Canadian vessel when it sent out a distress call Tuesday.
Three British naval vessels and two tug boats planned to tow the sub to a Scottish naval base, but a Canadian naval officer said rough seas might force any attempt get a tow line to the vessel until today.
The lead rescue ship, frigate HMS Montrose, reached the Chicoutimi at about 1pm on Wednesday, and pulled alongside to drop off medical staff and supplies and assess the damage, the Ministry of Defense said in London.
"They've got emergency lighting on board. It is probably going to get a little bit cold, but they have sufficient blankets and other means to keep warm on board the submarine," Pile said. "It's going to be uncomfortable with the movement of the sea."
An Irish naval vessel, LE Roisin, tried to reach the sub Wednesday but turned back after being damaged in heavy seas, the Irish Defense Forces said.
Another British ship laden with food and fuel and carrying a medical team and helicopter was also on the way.
END OF AN ERA: The vote brings the curtain down on 20 years of socialist rule, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an indigenous coca farmer, was elected president A center-right senator and a right-wing former president are to advance to a run-off for Bolivia’s presidency after the first round of elections on Sunday, marking the end of two decades of leftist rule, preliminary official results showed. Bolivian Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise front-runner, with 32.15 percent of the vote cast in an election dominated by a deep economic crisis, results published by the electoral commission showed. He was followed by former Bolivian president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in second with 26.87 percent, according to results based on 92 percent of votes cast. Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped
ELECTION DISTRACTION? When attention shifted away from the fight against the militants to politics, losses and setbacks in the battlefield increased, an analyst said Recent clashes in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country’s federal system and creating an opening for militant group al-Shabaab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states — Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West — that maintain often fractious relations with the central government in the capital, Mogadishu. However, ahead of elections next year, Somalia has sought to assert control over its member states, which security analysts said has created gaps for al-Shabaab infiltration. Last week, two Somalian soldiers were killed in clashes between pro-government forces and
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
RSS