Emergency survival suits that are normally kept in boxes were found floating underwater, apparently indicating the crew may have tried to put them on. Photo / AP
Emergency survival suits that are normally kept in boxes were found floating underwater, apparently indicating the crew may have tried to put them on. Photo / AP
A haunting video has emerged showing the crew of a sunken Indonesian submarine singing together a few weeks before the tragedy that would claim their lives.
The video shows some of the 53-strong crew singing Sampai Jumpa, an Indonesian hit whose title means Goodbye.
Submarine commander Heri Oktavian is among those gathered around a seaman strumming an acoustic guitar.
"Even though I'm not ready to be missing you, I'm not ready to live without you," the sailors sing. "I wish all the best for you."
Previously recorded video of Indonesia Navy crew singing a song on board submarine 'KRI 402 Nanggala'. The sub sank a few days ago with loss of all 53 crew on board. Rest in peace brothers. đđđ pic.twitter.com/jq2UodLoYt
Indonesia's military officially said yesterday that all 53 crew members of the KRI Nanggala 402 were dead, and that search teams had located the vessel's wreckage on the ocean floor.
Officials previously said the submarine's oxygen supply would have run out on Saturday, three days after the vessel went missing off the resort island of Bali.
An underwater robot equipped with cameras documented the lost submarine lying in at least three pieces on the ocean floor. Photo / AP
"We received underwater pictures that are confirmed as parts of the submarine, including its rear vertical rudder, anchors, outer pressure body, embossed dive rudder and other ship parts," military chief Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters in Bali yesterday.
An underwater robot equipped with cameras documented the lost submarine lying in at least three pieces on the ocean floor at a depth of 838 metres, said Admiral Yudo Margono, the navy's chief of staff.
That's much deeper than the submarine's collapse depth of 200m, at which point water pressure would be greater than the hull could withstand, according to earlier navy statements.
The cause of the submarine's sinking remains uncertain. The navy previously said an electrical failure could have left the submarine unable to execute emergency procedures to resurface.
Members of the Indonesian navy hold a morning briefing before searching for the KRI Nanggala last week. Photo / AP
Margono said emergency survival suits that are normally kept in boxes were found floating underwater, apparently indicating the crew may have tried to put them on.
The navy plans to eventually lift the wreckage and recover the dead, although the depth of the water poses a significant challenge, Margono said.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands, has faced growing challenges to its maritime claims in recent years, including numerous incidents involving Chinese vessels near the Natuna islands.
