U.S. relief crew on way to Russian sub

A U.S. Navy crew and two robotic submersibles left for Russia’s Pacific coast Friday in a race against time to rescue seven Russian sailors trapped in a mini-sub, U.S. Naval officials said.

Britain and Japan are also sending rescue missions. But it is unclear exactly how much time the efforts have.

According to Adm. Victor Federov, commander of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, the sailors had enough oxygen to last through Monday. Earlier, another Russian naval official said only 24 hours of oxygen remained.

The drama started Thursday when the propeller of the AS-28 mini-submarine became entangled in fishing nets or cable during a military exercise off the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia.