He said officials told him the order would bring to 118 the number of coffins the navy has on hand. A British mini-submarine, the LR5, joined the Russian rescue efforts late on Saturday. Twelve British and Norwegian divers arrived early yesterday to see if rescuers could make a watertight connection and enter the submarine. Russian mini-submarines came tantalisingly close on Friday, managing for the first time to lock on to the rear hatch's outer door. The edges of the hatch were so bent, however, that rescuers were unable to pump out enough water to open the inner door.
Russian officials say the submarine's other escape hatch, near the midsection, is destroyed.
The arrival of the foreign divers and mini-submarine a week after the accident inflamed outrage over the government's initial insistence that Russia could manage the rescue operation alone. Criticism of the effort confronted President Vladimir Putin with his first serious crisis since he took office earlier this year. He reversed his position on Wednesday. Mr Putin, stung by criticism for staying on vacation all week, returned to Moscow ahead of schedule on Saturday and held meetings on the disaster with his Prime Minister and other top aides. He made no public remarks.