Decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk burned down in China (3 photos + 3 videos)
Category: Fires and Catastrophes, PEGI 0+
Today, 00:08
The fire occurred during the dismantling of some of the ship's structures. 
The former Soviet heavy aircraft carrier Minsk of Project 1143B almost completely burned out after a fire that occurred during the refitting and dismantling of some of the structures.
It is noted that the ship was moored on the Yangtze River in the city of Nantong. The fire on board began on Friday afternoon and it was "mostly extinguished" about a day later. There were no casualties in the incident. An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway.
The aircraft carrier Minsk was laid down in 1972, launched in 1975, commissioned in 1978 and decommissioned in 1993. At the end of 1995, the ship was sold for scrap to South Korea, but two years later it was bought by a Chinese company. Minsk was towed to Shenzhen, where since 2000 the cruiser has been exhibited as the main attraction of the Minsk World amusement park.
The park subsequently changed owners several times and was finally closed in 2016, when a new investor decided to use the park territory for development.
In 2017, the Soviet aircraft carrier was towed to Nantong after repairs, where it was supposed to be part of a new aircraft carrier theme park. However, the project was never implemented. As a result, the Minsk has been rusting in Nantong for the past seven years. It looks like the current fire will put an end to the ship's history.
