Contaminated Town

Moscow - A Russian journalist has uncovered evidence of another Soviet nuclear catastrophe, which killed 10 sailors and contaminated an entire town.

Yelena Vazrshavskya is the first journalist to speak to people who witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine at the naval base of Shkotovo - 22 near Vladivostock.

The accident, which occurred 13 months before the Chernobyl disaster, spread radioactive fall-out over the base and nearby town, but was covered up by officials of the then Soviet Union. Residents were told the explosion in the reactor of the Victor-class submarine during a refit had been a “thermal” and not a nuclear explosion. And those involved in the clean up operation to remove more than 600 tons of contaminated material were sworn to secrecy.

A board of investigators was -later to describe it as the worst accident in the history of the Soviet Navy.