The bodies of 94 crew recovered from the Kursk nuclear submarine have all been identified, military prosecutor for the Northern Fleet, General Vladimir Mulov, told AFP.
“The last body identified is that of the chief of general staff of the Northern Fleet’s seventh division, Vladimir Bagryantsev,” Moulov said.
Investigators were still trying to identify the 105 fragments of bodies recovered from the Kursk wreck at the bottom of the Barents Sea, he added.
“Work is continuing at a military hospital in Severomorsk and at a defence ministry laboratory in Moscow,” said Movlov, adding that the body of the commander of the Kursk, Gennady Lyachin, had not been found.
Russia’s most modern nuclear-powered submarine sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000, following a series of still unexplained explosions in its bow, killing all 118 men on board.
The 94 bodies were recovered in an arduous operation that began when the Kursk was raised from the sea floor in October and transfered to dry dock in Roslyakovo near the northern port city of Murmansk.
The unprecedented operation cost the Russian government an estimated 70 million dollars (80 million euros), fulfilling President Vladimir Putin’s promise to grieving relatives that the lost crew would be buried on land.
Last month Russia’s navy chief Vladimir Kuroyedov gave the firmest indication to date that a torpedo explosion destroyed the Kursk, but was cautious not to say it was the definitive cause of the tragedy.
