A US nuclear submarine collides with a strange object in the South China Sea
The US Navy reported that its nuclear-powered attack submarine collided with a foreign object in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region last Saturday, adding that no life-threatening injuries were reported.
"The USS Connecticut submarine remains in a safe and stable condition," the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday.
The nuclear propulsion plant was not affected by it.
The fleet added that it is assessing the extent of the damage caused by the collision, which occurred on the second of October.
According to a report by the US Naval Institute News, citing an unnamed US Defense Department official, 11 sailors were lightly to moderately injured when the submarine collided with an unidentified underwater object in the South China Sea.
The last collision involving an American submarine occurred in 2005, when the submarine "USS San Francisco" collided with an underwater mountain, killing one of the sailors on board, according to the US Naval Institute News.
The US Navy's surface fleet has suffered several incidents in the crowded western Pacific in recent years, including back-to-back collisions involving two guided-missile destroyers in 2017.
Those incidents led to the dismissal of the commander of the Seventh Fleet and extensive investigations into naval exercises, policies and equipment.
The collision comes at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China, particularly over the Indo-Pacific region.
A few days ago, the United States expressed its “grave concern” over the recent incursions by Chinese warplanes into the Taiwanese air defense zone, saying that it “destabilizes” the risks of miscalculation and undermines peace and stability in the region.
On Friday, China called on the United States to locate the submarine collision and reveal the details of the accident, as well as the reason behind the submarine's trip, accusing Washington of intentionally withholding information.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused Washington of "stirring up problems in the South China Sea under the banner of freedom of navigation", which was the reason for this incident, which threatens peace and stability in the region.
It is also important for the United States to provide clarification on whether there was a nuclear leakage or environmental damage as a result of the accident, Zhao added.
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