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Rescue efforts for KRI Nanggala-402 in critical phase as more countries join search
The Indonesian Navy has deployed 21 vessels to locate the missing KRI Nanggala-402 and rescue 53 sailors on board.
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An Indonesian Navy seaman prepares an operation post of the search and rescue mission for the missing KRI Nanggala-402 submarine at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airbase in Badung, Bali on April 23, 2021. The 44-year-old submarine, carrying 53 crew members on board, made its last contact at 3:00 a.m. on April 21 after the crew asked permission to dive into deeper water for a torpedo-firing exercise. (Antara/Fikri Yusuf)
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uthorities pressed on to locate the missing KRI Nanggala-402 on Friday as the search and rescue operation reaches its critical phase with the submarine expected to run out of oxygen on early Saturday.
Search helicopters and Indonesian Navy ships left ports in Bali and a naval base in Java at first light heading to the area where contact was lost with the submarine early on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesperson Maj. Gen. Achmad Riad said on Friday the rescue teams focused their efforts to canvass an area located 40 kilometers north of Celukan Bawang in Bali.
"From data we received as of [Friday] afternoon, the team is looking at nine areas spread within an area of 10 [square] nautical miles,” Achmad said.
The teams were expected to look in a narrower area after KRI Pulau Rimau-724 – one of the Indonesian Navy ships deployed in the search operation – detected on Thursday an object with a “high magnetic level” at a depth of between 50 and 100 meters. The search team previously also sighted an oil spill in the area, suspected to have come from the missing submarine.
“We are currently observing the area using all available resources. We have not yet been able to pinpoint the exact location [of KRI Nanggala-402], but hopefully, we can find it using all available resources,” said Achmad.
KRI Nanggala-402, which carried 53 crew members on board, made its last contact at 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday after the crew asked permission to dive into deeper water for a torpedo-firing exercise. Officials attempted to re-establish contact around 45 minutes after the dive but failed to get a response from the crew.
