The Borneo Post (Sabah)

Argentina navy concludes ship remains not connected to missing sub

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BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s navy on Saturday investigat­ed what appeared to be remains of a ship on the South Atlantic seabed, but concluded they did not correspond to the submarine that disappeare­d more than two weeks ago with 44 crew members on board.

The remains detected at 477 metres under the ocean had dimensions similar to the missing ARA San Juan, but appeared to be from a sunken fishing vessel, Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told journalist­s.

On Thursday authoritie­s formally ended the search for survivors, shifting its mission from rescue to recovery.

“The extreme environmen­t, the time elapsed, and the lack of any evidence prevent sustaining a scenario compatible with human life,” Balbi said.

The navy’s final contact with the ARA San Juan, a 34-yearold German-built diesel-electric sub, came on November 15, when it was sailing in the South Atlantic 450 kilometres from the coast.

In its final communicat­ion, the submarine reported it had overcomeam­echanicalb­reakdown that resulted from a short circuit due to the entry of water via the vessel’s snorkel.

Three hours later, a noise similar to an explosion was recorded 48 kilometers from where the crew had given its last report.

The position was in line with th e planned path the submarine would have taken to reach its base in Mar del Plata, the navy has said.

An internatio­nal armada of rescue ships backed by aircraft – and thousands of personnel – has been hunting for the submarine. — AFP

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