Fire engulfs Russian warship under construction, 3 injured

A Russian warship under construction at a shipyard in St Petersburg caught fire Friday, leaving at least three workers injured.

The Provorny (Agile) corvette being built at the Severnaya Verf (Northern Shipyard) was completely engulfed by flames, and nearly 170 firefighters were taking part in efforts to extinguish the blaze that sent massive plumes of smoke over Russia's second-largest city.

Local authorities said three workers were injured, with two of them requiring hospitalisation.

An official panel has been created to investigate the cause of the fire, which wasn't immediately known.

The corvette is the latest in a series of such ships built at the shipyard. It was set to be commissioned by the navy late next year.