What Happened: Indonesian navy submarine ‘Nanggala-402’ went missing during a military torpedo drill on Wednesday. Reports suggest that the submarine lost contact with radar after getting authorization to dive into deeper waters. A search operation was launched for the German Vessel as soon as contact was lost.
Current Situation: According to the Indonesian Ministry of Defence , the submarine has around 72 hours of oxygen left, so authorities must act fast. A helicopter on the search mission spotted an oil spill, so authorities are linking that to the submarine and the search operation has been narrowed down to the spill site. The oil spill could be a signal by the one’s onboard, said a spokesperson of the navy. It is estimated that the submarine had the capacity to dive till below 500 metres, however authorities state that the vessel might have gone further 100-200 m below that depth.
Rescue efforts: Currently, around 400 military personnel have been dispatched in the search mission along with two warships. A third warship is expected to join from Jakarta soon. Several countries including Australia, Malaysia, and India have offered assistance to Indonesian military in their rescue efforts, which brings the warship count to six. The International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO) is also involved and sophisticated sonar technology is being used to track the exact location of the submarine.
JUST IN: Indian Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) departs from Visakhapatnam to support Indonesian Navy in search & rescue efforts for submarine KRI Nanggala. (File photos) pic.twitter.com/mTw6XvS1qs
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Reactions: Indonesian Navy spokesman First Adm. Julius Widjojono said ‘ Lets pray for them so they can survive’. Thousands of tributes and prayers flooded the social media channels.