An Indonesian navy patrol ship returns after a search operation for submarine KRI Nanggala that went missing while participating in a training exercise on Wednesday, off Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, April 25, 2021. (ACHMAD IBRAHIM / AP)
BANYUWANGI, Indonesia－Indonesia's military on Sunday officially acknowledged there was no hope of finding survivors from a submarine that sank and broke apart last week with 53 crew members aboard, and said search teams had located the vessel's wreckage on the ocean floor.
The Nanggala-402 was broken into three parts at the depth of 838 meters under the sea, Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said
The Nanggala-402 was broken into three parts at the depth of 838 meters under the sea, Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said.
"There, the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine was found in three big parts," he told a news conference, saying the next step is to lift the wreckage with the help of foreign navies.
Indonesian Military Chief Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed that all the 53 crew members were dead after components of the vessel were found.
"Based on the authentic evidence, it can be stated that all the crews of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine have been dead. For that, I express a deep condolence."
The grim announcement came a day after Indonesia said the submarine was considered sunk.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Sunday: "All of us Indonesians express our deep sorrow over this tragedy, especially to the families of the submarine crew."
Officials had said the vessel's oxygen supply would have run out on early Saturday, three days after the vessel went missing off the resort island of Bali.
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"We received underwater pictures that are confirmed as the parts of the submarine, including its rear vertical rudder, anchors, outer pressure body, embossed dive rudder and other ship parts," Tjahjanto said on Sunday.
The navy previously said it believed the submarine sank to a depth of 600-700 meters, much deeper than its collapse depth of 200 meters, at which point water pressure would be greater than the hull could withstand.
A US reconnaissance plane, a P-8 Poseidon, landed early on Saturday and had been set to join the search, along with 20 Indonesian ships, a sonar-equipped Australian warship and four Indonesian aircraft.
The cause of the disappearance was still uncertain. The navy had previously said an electrical failure could have left the submarine unable to execute emergency procedures to resurface.
Agencies – Xinhua