Sunk sub ‘not being chased’
Woman reports lost brother’s weird message
THE Argentinian submarine that vanished last month was being chased by a British helicopter and Chilean ship shortly before disappearing, one of the doomed vessel’s sailors told his sister in a “strange” message that was one of the last sent from the sub.
The sister’s account, made public on Wednesday, was immediately blasted by Argentinian military officials as “completely untrue” – Fox News reports.
And British authorities said they had no anti-submarine helicopters in the area.
There is a possibility he was referring to a Chilean ship or helicopter in waters shared by Chile and Argentina.
But Jessica Medina, whose brother Roberto Daniel Medina served aboard the sub, told Argentina’s La Gaceta newspaper in an exclusive interview that she received the message on WhatsApp just days before the vessel vanished November 15.
“It was that weird message in which he told us he was looking for a British helicopter and a Chilean ship, but unfortunately we did not continue with that conversation, he stayed there. That was the last message,” she said.
She said her brother told her the ARA San Juan was sailing close to the Falklands – called the Malvinas by Argentina – on November 3.
“On Monday we were looking for an English helicopter and yesterday the Chileans. There is a lot of movement there,” reads the message Mr Medina sent to his family.
Ms Medina added “many” other families of crew got reports from loved ones that they had been fleeing a British helicopter then.
She did not make the message public after the vessel went missing because she did not feel “capable.” But she said she eventually made the decision to do so in hopes the lead investigator saw the report.
A Royal Navy spokesman, however, told The Mirror the claims are “completely untrue,” adding the British had no anti-submarine helicopters in the Falklands.
Last week, Russian and US ships joined the search in the South Atlantic with deep submergence vehicles that can examine 6000m deep.
The San Juan disappeared as it was sailing from the southernmost port of Ushuaia to the coastal city of Mar del Plata after a patrol.
The navy has said the captain reported water entered the snorkel and caused one of the batteries to short circuit. He later said the problem had been contained, the navy said.
Some hours later, an explosion was detected near the time and place where the San Juan was last heard from.
Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi has said the blast could have been triggered by a “concentration of hydrogen” caused by the battery problem reported by the captain.