Russian authorities have been sparse with details about the incident, but the state nuclear agency Rosatom has confirmed that five of their employees lost their lives. According to Rosatom, the explosion occurred when something went wrong during a rocket engine test.
The country's defense ministry initially stated that the radiation levels were unchanged after the accident, while authorities in Severodvinsk said they noted a temporary increase. The environmental organization Greenpeace reported early on an increase of 20 times the normal.
Must be investigatedUS nuclear experts have expressed suspicion that Russia was trying to test a nuclear-powered cruise missile, something Rosatom neither confirmed nor denied.
A state commission has been set up in Russia to investigate what went wrong during the test.