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China Submarine Accident Kills 70

Friday, May 2, 2003
(9:58 AM)
Reuters

An accident on board a Chinese conventional submarine has killed all of its 70 officers and crew, the official Xinhua news agency said May 2, 2003. The accident, which occurred in Chinese territorial water in recent days, was caused by mechanical problems during training, Xinhua said but gave no further details or date. Chinese submarines receive service at a naval base in Qingdao, Shandong province, in this file photo taken September 23, 2002.
Image Credit: Andrew Wong -- Reuters file photo

BEIJING -- Reuters
An accident on board a Chinese conventional submarine has killed all of its 70 officers and crew, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

The accident, which occurred in Chinese territorial waters in recent days, was caused by mechanical problems during training, Xinhua said but gave no further details or a date.

It was one of the worst naval accidents in Communist China's history, a military source said.

"Unfortunately, all 70 men and officers aboard the submarine died," Xinhua said. The submarine has been towed to an unidentified port, Xinhua added.

In the mid-1980s, a destroyer exploded near the southern island province of Hainan killing nearly 100 people.

The Central Military Commission sent its condolences to families of officers and crew, it said.
The 2.5 million-strong People's Liberation Army has a fleet of about 90 submarines.
(More: netscape Network News)
2003 © Reuters, Ltd.

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