Updated Apr 25, 2021 - World

Indonesian navy finds sunken submarine in pieces and declares crew dead

Oriana González

An Indonesian military officer shows a crew escape suit from sunken Indonesian Navy submarine during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Military Air Base in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia on Sunday. — An Indonesian military officer shows the ripped crew escape suit from sunken Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala 402 during a press conference at Ngurah Rai Military Air Base in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia on Sunday. Photo: Johanes Christo/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Indonesian navy officials said Sunday the submarine that went missing last week had been found "cracked apart" on the seabed near the island of Bali, as they declared all 53 crew members dead, per Al Jazeera.

What they're saying: "There were parts of KRI Nanggala-402 — it was broken into three pieces," Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono told reporters. "The hull of the ship, the stern of the ship, and the main parts are all separated, with the main part found cracked."

Indonesia's police was sending teams to Bali and the Java town of Banyuwangi, the location of the naval base for search and recovery efforts, "to help identify the victims once the bodies are retrieved," Reuters notes.

Of note: Rescuers first found some items from the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 submarine on Saturday, including Muslim prayer rugs and grease bottles to lubricate periscopes, according to the New York Times.

Experts say that the vessel's descent must have been quick since it did not give any indication of its whereabouts, per The Times.

What they're saying: Margono noted Saturday that the condition of the items suggested the submarine had not exploded, but rather cracked likely due to pressure from being in deep waters, the Times reports.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of the vessel being found and the crew declared dead.

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Indonesian navy finds sunken submarine in pieces and declares crew dead

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