MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — The Argentine Navy on Thursday wrapped up its weeks-long operation to rescue the crew of the missing San Juan submarine, its spokesman Enrique Balbi said.
The search for the sub will continue, he said at an online press conference, adding Navy forces had spent twice as long looking for the 44 sailors than was needed to find them alive. No traces of the German-built submarine or its crew have been found.
The San Juan submarine with a crew of 44 went missing on November 15, while en route from Ushuaia to Mar del Plata. The Navy said a likely explosion had been registered in the area close to where the last contact was made. Earlier, the Argentinian Navy official said that there was no established time limit for the submarine’s search.
Multiple vessels and aircraft from different nations, including Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, have joined the the rescue efforts after a large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in the area where the submarine could likely be.