Hope fades for Indonesian missing submarine as US assists search

Indonesian Navy ships are seen at the naval base in Banyuwangi, East Java province as the military continues search operations off the coast of Bali for the Navy's KRI Nanggala submarine that went missing April 21 during a training exercise.

The United States is deploying a P-8 Poseidon aircraft to assist in the search and rescue operation for a missing Indonesian navy submarine lost in the Bali Sea, as hopes fade for the 53 crew which are expected to have run out of oxygen early on Saturday. The Indonesian navy said it was sending search helicopters and ships to the area where contact was lost with the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 submarine on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill. Australia has also deployed a sonar-equipped frigate with a helicopter to help the submarine hunt, while navy officials said vessels are on route from India and Singapore, as concerns grow that the submarine might have been crushed by water pressure. ‘The possibility of it having fallen underneath its maximum diving depth thereby leading to the implosion of the submarine will have to be considered,’ said Collin Koh, Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.