Two Russian sailors were killed and another injured in a fire on a nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, Russia's defense ministry said. A ministry spokesman in Moscow said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction and there was an automatic shutdown of the nuclear reactor, the Novosti news agency reported. The fire broke out Wednesday night on the St. Daniil of Moscow submarine, part of Russia's Northern Fleet, the Interfax news agency said. The vessel surfaced after the fire was extinguished and the Itar Tass agency said the submarine was being towed by a naval ship, although its destination was not disclosed. The 15-year-old submarine was part of the failed rescue effort in the Kursk nuclear submarine tragedy in August 2000 when 118 sailors suffocated in the paralyzed vessel, according to a report of the United Press International (UPI).
