Indonesian Military Submarine Goes Missing

German-built KRI Nanggala 402 was scheduled to do live torpedo exercises when it sought permission to dive early on Wednesday morning.

JAKARTA: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-April 22^nd, 2021) An Indonesian’s military submarine, with 53 crew members on board went missing on Wednesday.

The submarine lost its contact with the vessel during naval excercises off the coast of Bali.

The German-built KRI Nanggala 402 was scheduled to do live torpedo exercises when it sought permission to dive early on Wednesday morning.

The Defence ministry said that permission was given according to the procedure and submarine lost its contact and could not be reached.

“We are searching after losing contact with the submarine. I dived early morning on Wednesday after getting proper permission but went missing,” an official of the Defence ministry said.

Navy said it did not pinpoint the exact location of the submarine but had narrowed down the search based on the spill.

The oil “could indicate damage on the body” of the submarine, navy spokesman Julius Widjojono told MetroTV.

According to the reports, the military was dispatched some 400 personnel and two warships in the hunt, while a third vessel was being deployed from the capital Jakarta.

It also gave an international distress signal and many countries including Singapore, Australia and India were ready to help, said the defence ministry. It said that the crew on board was believed to be in waters about 700 metres (2,300 feet) deep.