Missing submarine found, survivors unlikely

A submarine that had been missing since Wednesday with 53 people on board had been found submerged.

CAPE TOWN, April 24 (ANA) – On Saturday, the Indonesian navy announced a submarine that had been missing since Wednesday off the coast of Bali, with 53 people on board had been found.

Locating survivors from the sunken Indonesian submarine was unlikely after officials reported the vessel was submerged.

Sky News reported that a search found the missing Indonesian navy submarine about 850m (2,789ft) under the water, according to military chiefs.

On Thursday, India’s defence minister announced that he had directed the navy to send a deep-sea rescue ship to Indonesia.

According to reports on Saturday, officials said to bolster the underwater search for survivors, Singaporean rescue ships would arrive on Saturday, and Malaysian rescue ships would arrive on Sunday.

The submarine’s oxygen supply would have run out early Saturday, authorities stated.

Al Jazeera reported that according to Frank Owen of the Australian Submarine Institute, a flood was most likely the cause of the sinking.

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia had requested that Indonesians pray for the crew’s safe return.

Rescue ships from Malaysia and Singapore are on their way, and Australia, the United States, Turkey, Russia, Germany, India, and France have also provided assistance.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Devereaux Morkel