Divers began cutting the hull of the sunken Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, preparing it for raising in September.

The divers are working from the Norwegian support ship Mayo and have already made a trial cut into the outer hull's fifth compartment and marked places where technological holes will be cut in the third and fourth compartments. An assistant Chief Commander of the Fleet Igor Dygalo told RIA Novosti that the operation was going on according to plan. Radiation levels are being constantly monitored by remote-controlled submersible devices. Russia's Naval Aviation is controlling the operation from the air. Later today special equipments will be mounted at a depth of 108 meters arounf the Kursk. The submarine's first compartment that could contain unexploded torpedoes is to be cut off and left at the bottom of the Barents Sea. The Kursk sank on August 12 after a series of powerful inexplicable blasts on board. All 118 Kursk crew died in the accident. Only 12 bodies were recovered during a salvage operation last October. The reactors were automatically shut down when the vessel sank, and regular monitoring has shown no radiation leak, according to Russian officials. Russian officials said the disaster was caused by a practice torpedo, but they hope to learn more about the explosion after raising the Kursk.