Jakarta – The Indonesian military said on Wednesday that it had asked Singapore and Australia for help in the search for a submarine with 53 crew members on board after losing contact with the ship off the coast of Bali.
“It is true that the KRI Nanggala 402 lost contact since early this morning around 3 am,” said First Admiral Julius Widjojono. He said the Indonesian Navy was looking for the submarine.
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“We know the area, but it is quite deep,” said Widjojono.
The Reuters news agency, referring to a spokesman for the Indonesian Navy, said the German-made submarine carried out a torpedo drill north of the island of Bali early Wednesday morning, but never properly reported the results.
The Associated Press later reported that the ship had rehearsed on Wednesday for a missile-firing exercise scheduled to take place on Thursday, and was attended by Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahjanto and other commanders.
Reuter said the submarine was built in 1978, but was completely overhauled in South Korea in 2012.