The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk (Oscar-class) sank off the coast of Murmansk with 118 people on board. It was later discovered that a faulty gasket had caused a leak of hydrogen peroxide fuel (already abandoned by navies around the world due to its dangerousness) and had landed on a test torpedo while it was being armed, causing it to explode, instantly killing everyone in the forward section of the submarine. Two minutes later, with the submarine resting on the seabed, the other seven torpedoes exploded, triggering a shock wave measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale, which was detected as far away as Alaska. Twenty-three sailors in the rear compartments survived for another six or seven hours, but before the Russian Navy even realized the accident, everyone on board was dead.
