Jakarta: Indonesia’s military says a navy submarine is missing near the resort island of Bali with 53 people on board.
Military chief Hadi Tjahjanto says the KRI Nanggala 402 was participating in a training exercise on Wednesday when it missed a scheduled reporting call.
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He says the submarine is believed to have disappeared in waters about 60 miles (95 kilometres) north of Bali.
Tjahjanto says the navy has deployed warships to search the area and has asked for help from Singapore and Australia, which have submarine rescue vessels.
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The German-built submarine, which has been in service since the early 1980s, was rehearsing for a missile-firing exercise that was to take place on Thursday and be attended by Tjahjanto and other military leaders.
Indonesia currently has a fleet of five submarines and plans to operate at least eight by 2024.
AP