Indonesian navy patrol boat KRI Singa (651) leaves Banyuwangi naval base on Saturday April 24, 2021 as the military continues search operations off Bali for navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402) who disappeared during a training exercise on Wednesday. – SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
Little chance of survivors. The submarine missing off Bali with 53 men on board has “sunk”, the Indonesian navy confirmed on Saturday, while authorities believe that the crew, if they survived, have exhausted their oxygen reserves.
Several debris from the submarine, which has not responded since Wednesday, was found, some of which came from inside the submarine, suggesting irreparable damage.
72 hours of maximum 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 in a briefing. press conference. 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 possible rupture of the reservoir
An oil slick spotted in the area where the submersible plunged gives rise to fears of a possible rupture of the reservoir, or even a dislocation of the submarine, according to experts. The Navy recovered several items including a piece of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate the submarine’s periscope. She also found a prayer rug, used by Muslims.
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.