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Reports began to emerge early on Friday that a Russian mini-submarine with seven men on board was in trouble after getting trapped in deep water in the Pacific.

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After early rescue attempts failed, Russian officials turned abroad for help, and a UK team with specialist underwater gear prepared for the trip.

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Half a world away, US teams with similar equipment set off from the West Coast.

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To the anguish of the sailors' families, confusing reports emerged of the supplies of oxygen left on board.

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As rescuers worked round the clock, some prayed. Many were reminded of the Kursk tragedy five years earlier, which left 118 sailors dead.

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A Russian naval vessel took the foreign rescue teams out to sea to the site of the accident, off the Kamchatka peninsula, late on Saturday and they set to work.

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Russia sent its defence minister to Kamchatka to oversee operations as a nation hoped desperately that this time all would end well.

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It took hours to cut through nets and other debris trapping the sub, but finally it was freed and immediately surfaced.

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The crew extricated themselves unaided, and were taken back to port to a welcome on the quayside from relatives, fellow sailors and hundreds of residents.

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The seven crew members had been trapped for 76 hours, in very low temperatures.

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Submarine Commander Lt Vyacheslav Milashevsky's wife, Yelena, said she was relieved after being told of her husband's safe return.