Brazil begins operation to sink retired aircraft carrier

The Brazilian Navy said on Friday evening that it had begun an operation to sink the decommissioned aircraft carrier S o Paulo, packed with an undetermined amount of asbestos and other toxic materials, about 220 miles off the country's northeastern coast.

A navy news release did not give details of the operation, and it was not clear whether or not the ship had gone down. Naval officials didn't respond immediately to requests for comment.

The carrier refused to dock back in Brazil for months after plans to recycle the ship in Turkey collapsed. Environmental groups accused Brazilian officials and the company that owned the ship of underreporting the amount of hazardous material aboard. Under pressure from environmental groups, Turkey canceled permission for S o Paulo to dock after the ship and its tug had already reached Gibraltar.

The vessel, which was in need of maintenance at the time, was forced to go back to Brazil, where it was refused permission to dock by civilian officials. The navy refused to offer its bases for unexplained reasons. The ship spent months being towed in circles as its condition deteriorated.