Salvage of Indonesian submarine ends as questions over military hardware loom
- 3 years ago
Indonesia ended salvage efforts on Wednesday to retrieve a disaster-stricken submarine that cost 53 lives and prompted questions over the maintenance of military equipment in the world's fourth most populous nation.
The 44-year-old submarine lost contact with the Indonesian navy on April 21 while preparing for a torpedo drill in the Bali Sea, triggering a desperate international search and rescue effort to find it before oxygen supplies ran out.
When the vessel was discovered days later in three parts, authorities acknowledged the difficulties of recovering the submarine from a depth of 840 meters (2,756 ft).
Navy spokesman Julius Widjojono said there were no plans to continue the retrieval effort after co-operation with China ended.
"The salvage is over," he told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that parts of the vessel remained on the sea floor.
China deployed three ships to aid in salvage last month.
The tragedy has highlighted fears about the condition of Indonesia's military hardware, with several senior submariners suggesting the vessel, the KRI Nanggala-402, had not been optimally maintained.
Source: Reuters
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