Argentine navy loses contact with submarine carrying 44

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s Navy said Friday it has lost contact with a submarine carrying 44 crew members off the country’s southern coast and has mounted a search.

The Navy said that ships and aircraft were searching near the last known location of the ARA San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric vessel, which had not been heard from since Wednesday.

The Navy said it was scanning all possible radio transmission frequencies for a sign of the San Juan.

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said it is possible that the submarine had an electrical issue and said it could not yet be termed lost.

“The last position (registered) was two days ago. Without wanting to be alarmist or overdramatic, the facts are that there no form of communications could be established between the vessel and its command, even with the alternative methods that the submarine has,” Balbi said.

“What we interpret is that there must have been a serious problem with the communications (infrastructure) or with the electrical supply, cables, antennae or other (onboard) equipment.”

Adm. Gabriel Gonzalez, chief of the Mar del Plata base that was the submarine’s destination, said the vessel had sufficient food and oxygen.

Still, relatives of some of the crewmembers were at the base awaiting word of the search.

“We are praying to God and asking that all Argentines help us to pray that they keep navigating and that they can be found,” Claudio Rodriguez, the brother of one of the crewmembers, told the local Todo Noticias TV channel.

The San Juan was commissioned in 1985 and was most recently refit in 2014.