© Provided by Washington Examiner Time is running out for the crew of a missing Indonesian submarine that dropped off the radar earlier this week. The 53-member crew has until 3 p.m. ET on Friday before oxygen runs out.
Rescue teams have been racing against the clock to find the missing vessel and pull those on board to safety.
Indonesia's Navy dispatched two ships and several helicopters to search an area near Bali Friday morning. In all, Indonesia has sent 20 Navy ships, two submarines, and five aircraft to find the missing submarine.
The United States, India, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia are also assisting in the search for the KRI Nanggala-402.
INDONESIA SEARCHES FOR SUNKEN SUBMARINE WITH 53 PASSENGERS AS OXYGEN RUNS OUT
The Navy originally believed the 44-year-old submarine had sunk to more than 2,000 feet and said that anything deeper than 1,640 feet could be fatal. However, hopes were raised when a strongly magnetic item was detected between 164 and 328 feet underwater.
"Our main priority is the safety of the 53 crew members," President Joko Widodo said this week in a televised address. "To the families of the crew members, I can understand your feelings, and we are doing our best to save all of the crew members on board."
He also asked the nation to pray that the vessel would be recovered.
The submarine went missing Wednesday morning after rehearsing for torpedo drills around 60 miles north of the island of Bali, Indonesia's Navy said. It added that a helicopter later spotted an oil slick near the dive's starting position.
An Indonesian military spokesman said officials would push the search hard in the hours leading up to when the Navy has calculated oxygen will run out.
"We will maximize the effort today, until the time limit," Maj. Gen. Achmad Riad said.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said late Thursday the U.S. was "sending airborne assets to assist the search" and added that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would meet with his Indonesian counterpart to discuss other ways the U.S. could help.
"We are deeply saddened by the news of Indonesia's lost submarine, and our thoughts are with the Indonesian sailors and their families. At the invitation of the Indonesian government, we are sending airborne assets to assist in the search for the missing submarine," Kirby tweeted.
Indonesia operates five submarines, two German-built Type 209s including Nanggala and three newer South Korean vessels, Reuters reported. The country has been looking to modernize its defense capabilities following fatal accidents in recent years.
KRI Nanggala was built in the late 1970s and has been in use since the early 1980s. Despite its age, the submarine went through a refit in 2012.
The Indonesian Navy insists it's been certified as seaworthy.
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In 2017, a similar emergency happened in the South Atlantic after an Argentine submarine went missing with 44 people on board. The wreckage was not found until almost a year later.
Tags: News, Indonesia, Navy, United States, India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia
Original Author: Barnini Chakraborty
Original Location: Race against time to find missing Indonesian submarine before oxygen runs out