Debris discovery ends Indonesian Navy's hopes of finding survivors among 53-person submarine crew

The Indonesian Navy on Saturday announced debris from a missing submarine has been found deep in the Bali Sea, ending hopes of finding any survivors among the 53-person crew. No bodies have been found so far, but an international search is underway.

The KRI Nanggala-402 submarine lost contact Wednesday while conducting torpedo drills off Bali, and was still considered missing until Saturday when the debris — which will be evaluated further, but authorities believe is clear proof the submarine sank — was discovered.

The vessel was built to withstand pressure up to 500 meters deep, but sonar indicates it sank well below that to around 850 meters, at which point even its steel hull would have likely fractured, The New York Times reports. That theory is consistent with the fact that Admiral Yudo Morgono said the condition of the debris suggests the submarine did not explode, but rather cracked. Yudo added that it's unclear what caused the submarine to sink to such depths in the first place, but naval experts believe it did so sharply and rapidly, the Times notes. Read more at The New York Times and The Associated Press.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up