Indonesia: Search Operation Underway To Find Disappeared Submarine

An Indonesian naval submarine with 53 people on board has disappeared into the sea near the island of Bali.

The early morning of April 21, the Nangla 402 submarine disappeared during a training exercise, said Hadi Tjahjanto, the Indonesian army chief.

The submarine’s disappearance was reported when the crew did not report it as scheduled.

The submarine is believed to have disappeared into the deep sea 60 miles north of Bali, he said.

The Indonesian army chief said the navy was searching for submarines in the area with the help of several ships, including a hydrographic survey ship, and had also asked for help from Singapore and Australia, which have submarines. There are rescue ships.

According to Indonesian media, the navy believes that the submarine sank to a depth of 700 meters.

The statement issued by the Indonesian Navy said that it is possible that the blackout lost control after the dive and it was not possible to carry out emergency measures due to which the submarine reached a depth of 600 to 700 meters.

The Indonesian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the submarine lost contact when it was allowed to dive, while a helicopter later observed an oil spill near the diving site.

The presence of oil at sea level indicates that the submarine’s fuel tank was damaged or that it could be a signal from the crew.

The submarine had 49 crew members, a commander and three gunners, according to the defence ministry.

The German-built submarine had been operating in Indonesia since 1981 and was scheduled to take part in a missile-firing exercise on April 22.

The Indonesian navy currently has five submarines and wants to increase that number to eight by 2024.