Communication has been lost with an Indonesian navy submarine near Bali, Reuters reported on Wednesday, quoting the country's military chief.
The German-made submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali on Wednesday but failed to transmit the results as expected, a navy spokesman said, as cited by the agency.
Fifty-three people are said to be on board the missing submarine, which may be at a depth of 700 metres, media reports say.
SUBMISS:
— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) April 21, 2021
🇮🇩Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala missing after participating in torpedo drills in Bali Sea.
Type 209 SSK, Built in Germany 1980.https://t.co/JoYPZvdfQD pic.twitter.com/XqhRnjCRS0
According to the Daily Star, which cites the country's military chief, the missing vessel is one of five submarines in the Indonesian Navy.
An oil spill has been found near the missing submarine's earlier known position, Reuters said, quoting the Indonesian Defence Ministry. Two Indonesian military vessels with sonar capability have been deployed to locate the missing submarine, the ministry added. Also, Indonesia has requested help from Singapore and Australia in searching for the missing vessel and its crew.
