The submarine disappeared off the coast of Bali with 53 men on board "sank", the Indonesian navy confirmed on Saturday, April 24, while several debris from the submarine, which has not responded since Wednesday, was found, some of which came from inside the submersible, suggesting irreparable damage.
The Indonesian authorities believe, moreover, that the crew, if they survived, exhausted their oxygen reserves.
"Based on what we believe to come from KRI Nanggala, we changed the status of the submarine from 'missing' to 'sunk'," Indonesian Navy spokesman Yudo Margono said during a briefing. press conference.
A possible rupture of the reservoir
Hundreds of soldiers and twenty boats have been mobilized since Wednesday to locate the KRI Nanggala 402, a 40-year-old submersible.
The navy had estimated at 72 hours the maximum reserves of oxygen available to crew members in the event of a power failure and this deadline was passed early Saturday morning, making their survival unlikely.
A slick of oil spotted in the area where the submersible plunged gives rise to fear of a possible rupture of the reservoir, or even a dislocation of the submarine, according to experts.
Military authorities initially announced that the submersible could have sunk to a depth of 700 meters, a much greater depth than that for which it was designed.
The German-made submarine had requested permission to dive for military exercises including torpedo fire, before disappearing.
The United States sent airborne troops while two Australian Navy ships arrived in the area.
With AFP
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR