Fire breaks out on floating nuclear plant at Russia shipyard

Russia's emergency services ministry says a fire broke out on the floating nuclear power plant being built at a shipyard near the center of St Petersburg, but was extinguished before anyone was injured.

Construction of the floating plant, which is to be deployed in Russia's Far East, has caused concern among environmentalists.

Rashid Alimov of Greenpeace's Russian branch said today's fire showed that plans for loading nuclear fuel into the plant's reactors are "irresponsible."

The shipyard is about two kilometers (1.25 miles) downriver from some of St Petersburg's most renowned tourist sites, including the State Hermitage Museum.

The ministry statement says the fire was caused by a short circuit in a storage battery.