Report: Bad data entry led to sub deaths

MOSCOW, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The deadly release of fire suppression gas in a Russian sub this month was caused by a crew member entering wrong data into a temperature sensor, sources say.

Twenty people died Nov. 8 aboard the Nerpa when its fire suppression system was accidentally activated, sending Freon into its living quarters and suffocating the victims while the nuclear submarine was in the Sea of Japan.

The Russian business daily Kommersant, quoting unnamed sources, reported Monday that the incident was triggered when the crew member's faulty data entry caused temperatures to rise quickly, triggering the fire safety system, RIA Novosti said.

Some former Russian navy officers, however, disputed that report as unlikely, telling Kommersant it isn't possible for a single crew member to activate the system because it is protected by several layers of authorizations.

A spokesman for Russia's prosecutor general's office said last week investigators had determined one crew member was responsible for the accident, saying he had, "without permission or any particular reason," activated the fire system, RIA Novosti reported.