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Two British sailors killed in sub exercise

Two Royal Naval sailors were killed in an explosion aboard the attack submarine HMS Tireless on Tuesday night during an exercise with U.S. forces in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence. The submarine was submerged below the polar ice cap at the time. A third British sailor was wounded and evacuated by U.S. forces.

“At this early stage, it is thought that the accident involved a piece of air-purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine,” the MoD statement said. While the statement says the equipment has a perfect safety record, one early report says the accident involved an explosion.

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Video of the HMS Tireless

The accident took place at 8:20 p.m. local time and the Tireless surfaced through the ice soon thereafter, the statement said.

Tireless was participating in Ice Exercise 2007 with the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine Alexandria in “joint classified testing on submarine operability and war fighting capabilities in Arctic waters” according to a release from Naval Submarine Forces in Norfolk, Va. As part of the exercise, a temporary ice camp is established on the surface. It is shared with civilian scientists.

According to the statement, the nuclear-powered Trafalgar-class submarine was never in any danger and the submarine surfaced immediately after the accident.

Next of kin of both men have been notified.

U.S. Naval Submarine Force released a statement from its commander, Vice Adm. Jay Donnelly, which said, “I am saddened by the loss of the crew members from the Tireless. Submariners are brothers at sea and we all feel the loss as if it were one of our own. We stand by to continue to assist in any way we can.”

The wounded British sailor and attending medical crew flew by Alaska Air National Guard C-130 aircraft from Deadhorse, near the ice camp, to a hospital in Anchorage.

Ice Exercise 2007 is scheduled until the end of March.

U.S. and Royal Navy submarines have participated in joint Arctic exercises since 1986.