you have oxygen left for 72 hours

Indonesian Navy ships attempt to locate missing submarine in fight against time with 53 people on board who, if still alive, could deplete their oxygen reserves in 72 hours.

The submersible of the Indonesian navy, the “KRI Nanggala 402”, built about 40 years ago, it was to participate in maneuvers including the launching of torpedoes.

He requested permission to dive early Wednesday morning, around 3:00 a.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT), and since then has not responded to communications or signals.

“The oxygen reserves of the submarine during a power failure are 72 hoursIndonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono told reporters.

Thus, these reservations could be exhausted on “Saturday at 3”. “I hope we find them sooner”he declared.

In the area where the last signal sent by the submersible occurredAn oil slick has been detected, north of the island of Bali where the submarine submerged, and this is where the research is focused, Julius Widjojono, a spokesman for the navy, told AFP.

Six naval ships and a helicopter are involved in the tasks. Hydrocarbons can signal damage to the submarine reserve, but also a means of sending a distress message.

Southeast Asian Archipelago President Joko Widodo called on navy and relief personnel to “deploy alls the means available and make all necessary efforts for the rescue operation. “

Military analysts have warned that the submersible it could have been broken if it had fallen to a depth of 700 meters, as the military authorities suggested the day before.

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton warned the available information raised fears “a terrible tragedy”.

Several countries have offered their assistance, including the United States, Australia, India, France and Germany. Neighboring Malaysia and Singapore have sent rescue boats.

The Navy hinted Thursday that an accident may have occurred. “It is possible that there was a power failure, which left the submarine out of control and prevented the launch of emergency measures, with which it sank 600 or 700 meters, “said a spokesman for the navy.

Such a vessel can descend below 250 meters, “a safety factor imposed by the hard life of the submarine,” French Vice-Admiral Antoine Beausssant told AFP. But “if it landed 700 meters away, there’s a good chance it broke,” he added.

Frank Owen, director of the Australian Submarine Institute, was pessimistic about the chances of a rescue. “If the submarine is at the bottom of the sea and if there is such a depth, there is very little means to get the crew out,” he told the Australian press.

“There are still too many unknown pointsCurie Maharani, an expert in military affairs at the Indonesian University of Bina Nusantara, stressed: “But what we do know is that it is a race against time.”

The “KRI Nanggala 402” was built in Germany in 1978, according to a government website, and subsequent changes were made to modernize it. It’s a diesel submarine.

Indonesia has not experienced serious incidents related to its submersibles, but other countries have suffered such accidents One of the most famous tragedies occurred in 2000, when the Russian nuclear submarine “Kursk” she sank while maneuvering in the Barents Sea with 118 crew on board.

One of the torpedoes exploded, destroying the entire ammunition depot. 23 sailors survived the explosion but died because they were not rescued in time.

In 2017, the submarine of the Argentine fleet ARA San Juan, with 44 crew members, he disappeared about 400 km from the Argentinian coast.

An underwater explosion was recorded near its last position.

In 2019, the wreck of the Minerva submarine, which sank in 1968 with 52 men on board, they were found in the Mediterranean.

The French navy submersible, which was maneuvering thirty kilometers off Toulon (south-eastern France), sank in four minutes and crashed against the seabed for reasons unknown until now.

Source: AFP and ANSA

PB