LIVE IN HOPE
Just FIVE hours to find missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew before oxygen runs out as rescuers detect radar signal
RESCUE teams now have just FIVE hours left to find a missing submarine before the 53 crew members run out of oxygen.
The Indonesian Navy ship disappeared on Friday, and has 53 crew members on board who are rapidly running out of time.
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Six warships, a helicopter and 400 people, have already been deployed to the area, with desperate officials trying to hone in on a radar signal detected from an unidentified object today.
Singapore and Malaysia have dispatched ships, and the US, Australia, France, and Germany have also offered assistance.
The Sun had previously reported that the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 submarine disappeared about 60 miles (100km) off the coast of Bali early on Wednesday morning.
The German-built submarine had been conducting a drill, but failed to report back and contact was lost.
Some reports suggest contact this happened after the submarine was given clearance to dive into deeper waters.
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An oil spill found near where the submarine dived could point to fuel tank damage, or could also be a signal from the crew.
Officials have now confirmed that that an object with "high magnetic force" had been spotted "floating" at a depth of 50-100 metres.
They said that, if the submarine is still intact, it would only have enough air to last until around dawn on Saturday.
They added that they were investigating whether the submarine lost power during a dive and could not carry out emergency procedures as it descended to a depth of 600-700 metres, well beyond its survivable limits.
"So far we haven't found it, but with the equipment available we should be able to find the location," Achmad Riad, a spokesman for the Indonesian military, told a news conference.
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However, many have played down the chances of survival, noting history’s only successful submarine rescue occurred more than 80 years ago.
The search continues.
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