BREAKING NEWS: 53 Crew Members of KRI Nanggala 402 Submarine Have Fallen, Says Indonesia Military Commander

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto announced that all 53 crew members of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine have died.

“The 53 crew members on board the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine have fallen,” Hadi said with a lump in his throat during a press conference on Sunday, April 25.

On behalf of the Indonesian soldiers, he expressed their deep sorrow over this tragedy, especially to the families of the submarine crew.

He said that a confirmed image has captured some objects of the sunken KRI Nanggala 402 submarine such as its rear vertical rudder, anchors, and personal safety equipment of the sailors.

Based on the authentic evidence, he could confirm that the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine sank and all of its crew had died.

“We hope that we can continue the work of our brothers, the best Indonesian soldiers," he said.

The search for the German-built vessel began on Wednesday, April 21 when it lost contact in the morning.

The 44-year-old vessel went missing north of the resort island of Bali when it was rehearsing for a missile-firing exercise scheduled for Thursday last week. The vessel sank in deep blue waters about 95 kilometers north of Bali shortly after it had been granted clearance to dive.
The vessel disappeared and it was reported that it only had enough oxygen for the crew to survive up to three days.

Previously, Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono said the KRI Nanggala-402 did not experience a blackout when it lost contact and sunk off Bali. But the submarine has experienced cracks as it descended to 700-800 meters.

The Indonesian Navy declared on Saturday that the KRI Nanggala-402 has sunk. However, only today the TNI commander announced that the entire crew members had died.

(Writer: Haryanti Puspa Sari, Imam Rosidin | Editor: Diamanty Meiliana, Robertus Belarminus)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/25/17365951/panglima-tni-53-personel-yang-onboard-kri-nanggala-402-telah-gugur.

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