The US military is assigning airborne support to help Indonesia find the missing submarine with 53 people on board.
Indonesian authorities assume there are just a few hours left to find before the oxygen runs out of the submarine.
Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala 402 disappeared on Wednesday while drills off the coast of Bali. The incident sparked a frantic search to find the stricken vessel.
An oil slick where it was held to have submerged hinted damage to a fuel tank might have been an agent.
John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesperson, said that the turn of events deeply saddened the US.
He further added that their thoughts are with the Indonesian families in a statement. Moreover, at the invitation of the Indonesian government, the US is sending airborne assets. In the hope that these assets will assist Indonesia in finding its missing KRI Nanggala 402.
The Indonesian military on late Thursday said that it had caught signs of an object. The object was in a depth of between 50 to 100 metres (165 to 330 feet). Hence, they have deployed crafts with sonar-tracking equipment in the hope it was the missing submarine.
Indonesian military spokesman Achmad Riad said they’ve got until 0300 tomorrow (Saturday). Hence, they are maximising all their shots today, and feasibly, there will be a precise spot.
At least six warships, 400 people and a helicopter have since been involved in the search. Malaysia and Singapore have dispatched their ships to the area. Moreover, Australia, Germany and France have also offered aid.
Early on Wednesday, the KRI Nanggala 402 lost contact shortly after requesting permission to dive during a live torpedo drill.
The German-built vessel is one among the five submarines run by Indonesia. The submarine was made in 1978 and underwent a two-year refit in South Korea, which was completed back in 2012.
The missing of the submarine is the first time event in the history of the Indonesian navy. But similar incidents have happened at other places.
In 2000, a Russian navy submarine, the Kursk, sank during manoeuvers in the Barent Sea, with all 118 crew members. In the findings during an inquiry that one of the torpedos exploded, detonating all the others.
Most of the Kursk crew on board died immediately. But some survived, and they died as well due to suffocation a few days later.
