2 injured in US naval submarine accident in Washington state

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — Two U.S. Navy personnel suffered non-life-threatening injuries in an accident aboard a nuclear ballistic missile submarine docked at a maintenance facility at Puget Sound in Washington state. The Navy says the accident on the USS Louisiana occurred during rapid decompression of a forward compartment during a routine air test on Saturday. The rush of air dislodged scaffolding and other equipment and created a boom, according to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility. The two personnel were treated and released at a local medical facility, and Navy medical personnel evaluated five others who didn’t require treatment. The cause of the accident is being investigated. The Navy says the submarine’s nuclear propulsion area wasn’t affected.