By Matt Cannon
An Indonesian submarine that went missing off the coast of Bali has been found split into at least three pieces on the sea bed, the country’s navy has said.
All 53 people on board are thought to be dead, with Indonesia’s president offering his condolences to the families of those aboard.
KRI Nanggala-402, a 44-year-old German-made submarine that underwent a refit in 2012, lost contact as it prepared to carry out a torpedo drill on Wednesday.
Navy chief of staff Yudo Margono said that search teams have located the vessel at the bottom of the Bali Sea, the Associated Press reported following a press conference on Sunday.
An underwater robot equipped with cameras found the submarine lying in at least three pieces at a depth of 838 meters (2,750 feet), Admiral Margono said.
“The KRI Nanggala is divided into three parts, the hull of the ship, the stern of the ship, and the main parts are all separated, with the main part found cracked,” he said.
He said the crew were not to blame. The cause of the disappearance is still uncertain, although the navy has previously said an electrical failure could have left the submarine unable to execute emergency procedures to resurface.
The head of Indonesia’s military, Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, told reporters: “Based on the evidence, it can be stated that the KRI Nanggala has sunk and all of its crew have died.”
