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Fire at Brazil’s Antarctic base kills 2 navy personnel

26 February 2012 02:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A fire killed two Brazilian navy personnel and injured a third one at the country’s Antarctic research base Saturday, the navy said, APA reports.

Fire first broke out in a room housing energy generators and spread to other areas of the Comandante Ferraz base near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, causing a string of explosions, the navy said.

Some 120 million U.S. dollars’ worth of research equipment was destroyed in the fire, and the whole base was almost totally burned.

About 30 scientists, one alpinist and a Brazilian environment official and 12 Brazilian navy personnel were stationed at the base when the tragedy occurred.

The Argentine air force airlifted the survivors to a Chilean city, and a Brazilian air force plane further flew them back to Brazil.

The Brazilian base, established in 1984, focuses on biological and marine researches.