VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo - 

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Sunday he had been informed by the navy that a missing submarine had been found sunken in the Bali Sea and sent his condolences to the 53 crew's families.

"The army and navy have changed the status of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine from having lost contact to being 'sub-sunk' or drowned," he told reporters, quoted by Reuters.

"All of us Indonesians express our deep sorrow over this tragedy, especially to the families of the submarine crew."

The 44-year old KRI Nanggala-402 lost contact on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill. On Sunday, the hunt for a missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew turned into a salvage effort after recovered debris suggested it broke apart as it sank off the coast of Bali.

Warships, planes and hundreds of military personnel had led a frantic search for the KRI Nanggala 402 since it disappeared this week during training exercises, hoping for a miracle rescue before its known oxygen reserves ran out.

But the Indonesian Navy acknowledged Saturday that pieces of the submarine, including items from inside the vessel, had been retrieved. They declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any chance of finding survivors.

Among the items recovered was a piece of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate periscopes. They also found a prayer mat commonly used in the country. President Jokowi described the missing sailors as Indonesia's "best patriots".

"All Indonesians convey their deep sadness over this incident, especially to the families of the submarine crew," he said.

Authorities have not given an official explanation for the accident, but said that the submarine may have suffered a blackout and left its crew unable to resurface.

Indonesian Navy chief Adm. Yudo Margono discounted an explosion, however, saying Saturday that the evidence suggested the submarine came apart as it was crushed by water pressure at depths of more than 800 metres (2,600 feet) -- well below what the German-built Nanggala was built to withstand.

"Submarine hulls are pressurised but when they're breached then water would come flooding inside," said Wisnu Wardhana, a maritime expert at Indonesia's Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, quoted by AFP.

Authorities have warned that any salvage operation would be risky and difficult in the deep waters.

Singapore's MV Swift Rescue -- a submarine rescue vessel -- has arrived to aid in the recovery effort, the navy said Sunday.

Neighbouring Malaysia, as well as the United States, India and Australia, were among the nations helping in the search. Search vessels, reconnaissance aircraft and submarine rescue ships have been deployed to scour a zone of about 10 square nautical miles (34 square kilometres)//JP