Submarine with 53 on board goes missing off Bali waters

THE country’s navy is searching for a missing submarine with 53 people on board that went missing and is seeking help from neighbouring Australia and Singapore in the hunt, said the Indonesian military chief.

The German-made submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali yesterday but failed to relay the results as expected, a navy spokesman said.

“We are still searching in the waters of Bali, 96km from Bali, (for) 53 people,” military chief hadi Tjahjanto said in a text message.

he confirmed that assistance in the search for the submarine and missing crew members had been sought from Australia and Singapore.

he said that contact with the vessel was lost at 4.30am yesterday.

The 1,395-tonne KRI Nanggala-402 was built in Germany in 1978, according to the Indonesian Cabinet secretariat’s website, and underwent a two-year refit in South Korea that was completed in 2012.