As hope wanes, officials fear the submarine may have sunk to dangerous depths beyond its design limits.
The search for the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402, which disappeared with 53 crew members aboard off the coast of Bali, continues with little hope for their survival. The Indonesian navy reported that an oil spill was detected near the submarine’s last known diving location, raising concerns about its fate.
The submarine lost contact with the navy shortly after receiving clearance to dive at 3 am on Wednesday. Authorities initially suspected an electrical failure during the dive, which may have caused the vessel to lose control and prevent it from resurfacing. Experts now fear the submarine may have sunk to depths of 600 to 700 meters, far beyond its designed capacity.
Submarine rescue specialist Frank Owen explained that the KRI Nanggala-402 was designed to dive only to a depth of around 250 meters, with a safety margin, making depths exceeding that a serious concern. Owen highlighted that, at such extreme depths, the submarine could still be intact, but severe structural damage is likely. He mentioned three possibilities for the missing vessel: it could be either resting on the seabed, floating on the surface, or simply unable to respond to search efforts due to a communication failure. With more than 24 hours passed since the disappearance, the likelihood of a communication issue is decreasing.
