Russia: Base of Kursk submarine marks 15 years since disaster

A memorial service marking 15 years since the Kursk submarine disaster was held in the submarine‘s home base of Vidyayevo on Wednesday. Residents, officials and naval personnel from the base paid their respects by laying flowers to those who died in the disaster. The service was just one of several ceremonies observed for the anniversary of the Kursk disaster, which claimed the lives of 118 people. Vidyaevo annually stages commemorative events in churches, the central square, museums and schools in honour of the those who died. A damaged torpedo triggered a series of explosions which caused the submarine to sink during a Russian naval exercise in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000.