Small accident on Russian atomic submarine

MOSCOW, July 26 (Reuters) Radioactive water has spilled in a Russian nuclear submarine, but has not escaped into the environment, local media reported today.

''The radioactivity level inside and outside the atomic submarine is normal. There is no pollution risk,'' a navy spokesman told Russian news agencies.

The feedwater -- which is used to cool the reactor -- had been spilled when removing the reactor from the submarine in the Arctic naval base of Vidyaevo, the news agencies said.

Any accident in an atomic submarine causes concern in Russia, where memories are fresh of the 2000 Kursk disaster. For several days, officials tried to hide the scale of the sinking, which killed all 118 people on board.

REUTERS MQA PM2048