Russian aircraft carrier damaged as floating dock sinks

The PD-50 floating dock located at a factory near the Russian port city of Murmansk completely sank into the sea this morning while serving the repair process of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, according toRT.

The incident caused a crane to strike the hull of Russia's only aircraft carrier, causing minor damage to the deck and hull. Five workers fell into the water, including one missing, and four were hospitalized with hypothermia. The other 71 people on the floating dock were safely evacuated.

The dock sank after a power outage caused water to flood into the tanks too quickly, the plant's management said. The Kuznetsov was removed from the dock before it sank completely and was towed to a nearby shipyard for further repairs.

Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether safety rules were violated in the incident, which is likely to prolong the repair of the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is expected to return to service with the Russian navy in 2021.

PD-50 is one of the largest floating docks in the world, built by Sweden for the Soviet Union in 1980 to repair submarines and large surface ships. The dock is 330 m long, 76 m wide and is capable of lifting a ship with a displacement of 80,000 tons.