|
The
German-made submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, was conducting a
torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali but failed
to relay the results as expected, a navy spokesman said.
"We are still searching in the waters of Bali, 60 miles (96 km)
from Bali, (for) 53 people," military chief Hadi Tjahjanto told
Reuters in a text message.
The military chief confirmed that assistance in the search for
the submarine and missing crew members had been sought from
Australia and Singapore. He said that contact with the vessel
was lost at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Representatives of the defence departments of Australia and
Singapore did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The 1,395-tonne KRI Nanggala-402 was built in Germany in 1978,
according to the Indonesian cabinet secretariat's website, and
underwent a two-year refit in South Korea that was completed in
2012.
Indonesia in the past operated a fleet of 12 submarines
purchased from the Soviet Union to patrol the waters of its
sprawling archipelago.
But now it has a fleet of only five including two German-built
Type 209 submarines and three newer South Korean vessels.
Indonesia has been seeking to upgrade its defence capabilities
but some of its equipment still in service is old and there have
been deadly accidents involving in particular ageing military
transport planes in recent years.
(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Kate Lamb and
Ed Davies; Editing by Martin Petty and Robert Birsel)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
