All hopes were dashed yesterday when officials announced they had found the remains of a missing Indonesian submarine, indicating that there are no survivors.
53 people were in the German-made submarine KRI Nanggala-402 when it lost contact on Wednesday morning during a military torpedo drill in the Bali Strait. Yesterday, the searchers announced that they had found oil and some debris in an area, leading them to believe it was the missing submarine. Found items included a bottle of lubricant and a torpedo guard.
Air Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto says the items would not normally leave the submarine. ”The objects found at the last submarine location are believed to be parts of the submarine. These objects would never have emerged from the submarine without pressure. “
A naval chief confirmed the sad news by saying that the search teams no longer expected to find a missing boat, but a sunken boat. Yesterday, after officials reported settling in an area they believed the submarine could be found, she announced that it was the submarine’s last day on which to supply oxygen.
During a scan, it was determined that the submarine is at a depth of 850 meters, a depth well beyond its limits, as the boat is only designed for a depth of up to 500 meters.
Officials say there was no explosion. Now the sad news has shifted the search efforts to reclaiming the remaining debris and debris.
But some of the crew’s relatives are still optimistic. Berda Asmara, the wife of Second Sergeant Guntur Ari Prasetya, told Al Jazeera that she still hoped her husband survived.
