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Search for sub continues but discovery of debris dashes hopes to find survivors
The search for missing submarine KRI Nanggala-402 continues on Sunday despite hopes for the survival of its 53 sailors fading after debris believed to be from the vessel suggested it had sunk to deep waters and cracked under pressure.
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Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala sails out from port in Cilegon, Banten, on October 5, 2017.
(AFP/AFP)
The search for missing submarine KRI Nanggala-402 continues on Sunday despite hopes for the survival of its 53 sailors fading after debris believed to be from the vessel suggested it had sunk to deep waters and cracked under pressure.
Authorities announced on Saturday the finding of at least six items, including parts of torpedo straightener, grease bottle and a prayer mat after they combed through an area of 10 square nautical miles off Bali believed to be the last location of the 43-year-old submarine.
Navy chief of staff Adm. Yudo Margono said the debris was “authentic proof” that the submarine had sunk to around 850 meters below sea level, well beyond its survivable limit, and fractured under the pressure of deep water, possibly in the torpedo launcher.
“This [debris] would not have been separated from the vessel if there had not been pressure from outside of the vessel or a crack in the torpedo launcher,” Yudo told a press briefing in Bali.
He said the finding of parts of a torpedo straightener also indicated that the crack was quite “significant”, with water believed to have already run into the submarine that went missing early Wednesday after diving deeper for a torpedo-firing exercise in waters north of Bali.
Navy spokesman Cdre. Julius Widjojono previously was quoted by Reuters as saying that the German-built submarine could withstand a depth of around 500 m, but anything deeper could be fatal.
