The Indonesian military said a navy submarine carrying 53 people went missing Wednesday (April 21) in waters north of the resort island of Bali, and the military is requesting assistance from Australia, Singapore and India.
Admiral Julius Widjojono (Julius Widjojono) said, “Indeed, the Republic of Indonesia Navy Nanggala-402 (KRI Nanggala-402) has been lost since about 3 a.m. this morning.”
Authorities said the submarine was undergoing training when it was lost.
The submarine, which has been in service since 1981, was rehearsing for a missile firing exercise scheduled for Thursday.
The German-built submarine went missing about 95 kilometers north of Bali.
Following the incident, the Indonesian Navy deployed a warship and a helicopter to reinforce the search party.
Searchers found oil trails in the waters near where the submarine was expected to report its location.
Indonesian media reported that the navy believes the submarine sank into a sea trough at a depth of 700 meters, the Associated Press said.
The 1,300-ton submarine contained 49 crew members, three gunners and a commander. Their names have not been released.
The Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia has been improving its military structure in recent years. Indonesia has five submarines and plans to add three more by 2024.
Recent Comments