Indonesia has found missing submarine with 53 dead crew

The Indonesian Navy announced on Sunday that found the submarine that had wrecked off Bali, confirming the death of the 53 members of its crew.

The submarine, which disappeared last Wednesday, was found sectioned into three parts on the seabed off Bali, according to the chief of staff of the navy, Yudo Margono.

Indonesian Armed Forces Commander Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed to reporters that “All 53 crew members are dead.”

The event recalled the Ara San Juan tragedy in Argentina, in which the submarine with that name went missing in 2017 with 44 people on board, and after months of search it was found in 2018 at the is from Comodoro Rivadavia.

Indonesian authorities have stated that received signals from the location more than 800 meters (2,600 feet) deep first thing in the morning on Sunday.

Added that used an underwater rescue vehicle provided by Singapore for visual confirmation.

Tjahjanto said that more parts of the ship was discovered on Sunday, including an anchor and safety suits worn by crew members.

The submarine, one of five belonging to the Indonesian armed forces, dived early Wednesday during military exercisesis planned in the north of the island of Bali. Contact was lost soon after.

According to the Navy, the submarine, thdelivered to Indonesia in 1981, it was in good condition for service. But this type of submarine is designed to withstand a pressure of only 300 or 400 meters deep.

Planes, ships and hundreds of soldiers had been mobilized to locate the KRI Nanggala 402, a 40-year-old submersible of German construction, which disappeared during the exercises.

The crew’s hopes for survival were deemed minimal as the submarine’s oxygen reserves were estimated to have been depleted.

Yesterday, after finding remains of the ship in the sea, some inside the submersible, the navy admitted to having suffered irreparable damage during its sinking.

Among the items found, part of a torpedo system and a bottle of grease to lubricate the periscopes were recovered.

A carpet used for praying has also been found, common in Indonesia, the country that hosts the largest number of Muslims in the world.