Jakarta, Indonesia:
Indonesia’s military stated it was looking for a submarine with 53 crew aboard following losing speak to with the vessel for the duration of naval workouts off the coast of Bali on Wednesday.
Indonesia’s military chief Hadi Tjahjanto told AFP the navy had dispatched warships off the northern coast of the island to search for it, and that neighbours Singapore and Australia had been asked for assist.
He added there have been 53 crew aboard the vessel, which was believed to be in waters about 700 metres (2,300 feet) deep.
First Admiral Julius Widjojono stated they had lost speak to with the 43-year-old German-constructed submarine early Wednesday morning.
“We know the area but it’s quite deep,” he stated.
The vessel was reportedly to conduct live-fire torpedo workouts ahead of speak to was lost.
The 1,300-tonne KRI Nanggala 402 was constructed in 1978, according to a government web site.
Indonesia, which has been moving to upgrade its military gear in current years, has 5 German and South Korean-constructed submarines in its fleet.