Debris was found from the Indonesian submarine that went missing Wednesday with 53 people on board, the nation’s navy said Saturday.
This led the military to conclude that the vessel, a diesel-powered KRI Nanggala-402, likely fell to such a depth that it cracked. The debris, which included items such as sponges and parts of prayer mats, was found at a location where the waters are 850 meters deep, officials added.
SUSPECTED SUICIDE BOMBING OUTSIDE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN INDONESIA INJURES AT LEAST 20
“With the authentic evidence we found believed to be from the submarine, we have now moved from the ‘sub miss’ phase to ‘sub sunk,'” Navy Chief Yudo Margono told the press in a news conference.
Bodies of the crew members have not yet been discovered, he added.
The submarine was declared missing after it missed a scheduled reporting call during a Wednesday training exercise. An oil slick was found near the position of the submarine’s last dive, about 60 miles north of the island of Bali.
Officials previously believed the vessel had sunk to a depth of 600 to 700 meters and that the oxygen on board would run out early Saturday morning. The cause of the submarine’s demise is still unclear, though officials have said that an electrical failure could have played a role.
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Twenty Indonesian ships were searching the area for the missing vessel, officials said, and an American plane, a P-8 Poseidon, was set to join the effort Saturday.
Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of U.S. Naval Operations, expressed the U.S. Navy’s condolences for the sailors.
“I am deeply saddened to learn the Indonesian submarine lost at sea earlier this week is now believed sunk,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Indonesian Navy, their Sailors and all those families who lost loved ones.”
