Russia Says Submarine Fire Under Control

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Officials in Russia say a fire that raged for more than nine hours on a Russian nuclear submarine is now under control.

Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said the fire on the "Yekaterinburg" had been localized after efforts to partially sink the vessel.

Authorities said no radiation had leaked from the "Yekaterinburg" at a naval yard in the Murmansk region within the Arctic Circle. They said the nuclear reactor had been shut down and all weapons removed from the 167-meter submarine, which is reported to be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles.

Earlier, the Emergency Situations Ministry said wooden scaffolding and other construction material had caught fire at the naval yadr due to what it called "violations of safety procedures."

Witnesses said flames at one point reached as high as 10 meters into the air.

Seven people were reportedly hospitalized, but an official from Russia's North Fleet, Aleksandr Grigorev, said their injuries were not life-threatening.

Officials said President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had been informed about the incident.

compiled from agency reports