Argentina chasing Russian lead in hunt for missing submarine

LA PAZ, Bolivia — An unmanned Russian submersible is examining a blurry image that shows an object about the same size as an Argentine submarine that went missing Nov. 15 with 44 crew members aboard.

The image was given “priority” for review Saturday because it shows an object about 66 yards long located at 1,565 feet below sea level.

The ARA San Juan is 72 yards long, but Argentina’s navy spokesman Enrique Balbi cautioned that the image generated by sonar is “unclear” and visual contact is necessary.

If the image does not reveal any new clues, Balbi said the search will focus on other signals of interest detected in parts of the South Atlantic where the vessel was last heard from.

Argentina’s navy said Thursday that it is no longer looking for survivors although a multinational operation will continue searching for the vessel. The navy said more than a dozen countries, including the United States, are searching for the sub.

“The extreme environment, the time elapsed and the lack of any evidence eliminates a scenario compatible with human life,” Balbi said. “These are hours of intense pain and anguish (for relatives) in light of the loss of their loved ones, our 44 comrades.”

Relatives of the crew are pressing the government to continue the search.

The German-made submarine went missing as it was journeying from the extreme southern port of Ushuaia to the city of Mar del Plata, about 250 miles southeast of Buenos Aires.

The navy has said the vessel’s captain reported that water entered the snorkel and caused one of the sub’s batteries to short circuit. An explosion was later detected around the time and place where the San Juan last made contact.