While Indonesia has not previously suffered a major submarine disaster, other countries have been struck by accidents in the past.Īmong the worst was the 2000 sinking of the Kursk, the pride of Russia's Northern Fleet. "It's not just about whether there will be enough oxygen, but it's also about the level of carbon dioxide within the interior that could determine the fate of the submariners," he said. Submarines are equipped to prevent carbon dioxide build-up, but if the equipment was damaged that could also pose a serious risk, Koh added. So it will further reduce the oxygen level." "It could also mean that the reserve tanks for the oxygen might potentially be damaged as well. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. "If there is serious damage on the boat itself, it could potentially mean a few things, for example, there will be very limited spaces for the crew with very limited oxygen," said Collin Koh, a naval affairs specialist and research fellow at the S. Indonesia is also relying on a pair of its own submarines - among the five in its fleet - to aid in the hunt.īut hopes of finding the crew alive were fading fast. India as well as neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia have already dispatched ships that are expected to arrive at the weekend, including the city-state's MV Swift Rescue - a submarine rescue vessel. On Thursday, the US military said it would send airborne teams to help, while one of two Australian ships in the region that have been deployed arrived at the search location. The German-built vessel was scheduled to conduct live torpedo exercises when it asked for permission to dive. There were also concerns that the submarine could have sunk to depths believed to be as much as 700 metres (2,300 feet) - well below what it was built to withstand. "He said 'pray for me that I'll come home soon'.He told our daughter to listen to me and study hard."Īn oil spill spotted where the submarine was thought to have submerged pointed to possible fuel-tank damage, fanning fears of a deadly disaster.
"Our last communication was on Monday when he was going to work," the mother of one told AFP in Surabaya, a port city in Java. Her sailor husband Guntur Ari Prasetyo, 39, had expected to return home from the submarine training mission at the weekend. "There was a strong magnetic field detected there," Riad said, but he added that "we've yet to find the exact location".īerda Asmara was among those anxiously awaiting news. "We've only got until 3:00 am tomorrow (Saturday) so we're maximising all of our efforts today," Indonesian military spokesman Achmad Riad said earlier.īut by Thursday afternoon, there was still no word on whether the object was the missing vessel.
The search zone covers an area of about 10 square nautical miles (34 square kilometres). Ships equipped with specialised tracking equipment were deployed in the hope that it may be the KRI Nanggala 402, which was equipped with oxygen reserves that could last until early Saturday, authorities said.