Indonesia navy declares lost submarine sunk with no hope of survivors
Authorities say vessel broke up and sank, but did not explode.
Indonesian authorities have declared the missing submarine, KRI Nanggala 402, sunk with no hope of surviviors.
A search mission found debris from the sub, which had been missing for three days, including parts of a torpedo straightener, part of a coolant pipe, a grease bottle, and prayer rugs.
Navy Chief Yudo Margono told a press conference on Saturday: “If it’s an explosion, it will be in pieces. The cracks happened gradually in some parts when it went down from 300 meters to 400 meters to 500 meters. If there was an explosion, it would be heard by the sonar.”
The cause of the disaster, the worst in Indonesia’s naval history, is yet to be ascertained. Military spokesman Djawara Whimbo said Indonesia’s hydrographic vessel was still unable to detect an unidentified object exhibiting high magnetism that was detected on Friday at a depth of 50 to 100 meters (165 to 330 feet).
