Concern expressed

A man injured in a Canadian submarine accident says he feels for the families of 44 Argentine submarine crewmembers lost in the South Atlantic for nine days.

Douglas Renken was one of nine sailors treated for smoke inhalation following the deadly fire onboard HMCS Chicoutimi in 2004.

He says he has been following news of the round-the-clock international search for the Argentine submarine, and that he can “only imagine what hell it is’’ for the families.

The Argentine navy says an explosion occurred near the time and place where the sub went missing on Nov. 15, and that even if it’s intact its crew may be running out of oxygen.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canada has sent a CC-144 Challenger aircraft with equipment to assist with the search and rescue efforts.

He says the twin-engine, longrange jet departed Halifax Wednesday night in response to a request for assistance from the government of Argentina.

Sajjan said in a tweet Thursday that his thoughts and prayers are with the submariners on the ARA San Juan.

More than a dozen airplanes and ships have been participating in the multinational search despite stormy weather that has caused powerful waves.

Search teams are ranging across an area of some 480,000 square kilometres, which is roughly the size of Spain.