Agonising wait of sailors' families

Valentina Staroseltseva is anxiously awaiting word about her son Dimitiri, who is one of the sailors trapped in the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk

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MURMANSK, Russia -- Relatives of the 116 sailors trapped on the stricken Russian submarine, Kursk, say they are finding it hard to live with the fear that they will never see their sons, husbands and brothers again.

As renewed attempts were being made to save the crew on Wednesday, the agonising wait for loved ones was beginning to take its toll.

"They tell us to hang on. We, of course, are hanging on, each person comforts himself, but when you turn on the television it all begins again," Galina Belogun told the Murmansk newspaper Polyarnaya Pravda.

"We can no longer watch the news where they are saying how our men are dying. It is unbearable," she said.

VIDEO The families of the stranded submariners say it's a horror. CNN's Mike Hanna reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Residents of the port city of Murmansk are angry over the rescue effort. CNN's Steve Harrigan reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Belogun, whose husband is an engineer on the Kursk, said she and other relatives had met with naval representatives on Monday to find out what was going on. She criticised the navy for not doing enough.

"They did not tell us anything concrete at this meeting...we asked concrete questions and they plan to gather us again...but I do not think they will give us any answers," she said.

"The wives asked: 'Tell us officially is my husband alive or not and in which sections were the men?' But they could not answer that at the moment," Belogun said.

Many relatives of the Kursk crew have already gathered on a special hospital ship bearthed in the port of Severomorsk, near Murmansk, ready to look after the men, when and if they come out of the sea.

Severomorsk is the home of Russia's Northern Fleet to which the Kursk belongs, and is closed to everyone except residents and those with special permission to enter.

Belogun said she hoped the rescuers would succeed but had a clear idea of the odds against them.

"I think that the Northern Fleet will solve the situation itself," she said

"The only thing is that the reserve of oxygen on any submarine lasts for 72 hours if there is no electricity."

Valentina Staroseltseva, whose son, Dimitri, is among the crew, remains hopeful he will be saved.

"I think this horror is going to pass, and I think he's going to come back. That's what should be."

Nowhere is the agony of the drama felt more than in the Russian town of Kursk, from which the submarine takes its name and from where several of the crew originate.

On Tuesday, teachers in the local school remembered the young boys whose lives are now in the balance. One said: "I think they're going to live. Not one of us has any doubt about that."

The crew is also on the mind of Alexander Bezhkov, who until just a few months ago was a sailor on the Kursk.

"We were taught the crew doesn't leave the submarine until the very last," he said. "We only leave the boat if the situation is hopeless."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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