HOPES SINKING
Argentine submarine crew feared dead as ‘oxygen supply runs out’ after ‘heat signal’ turns out to be a FALSE ALARMThe ARA San Juan had enough air for seven days - but that would run out today with the sub having been missing since last week
By Tom Michael
22nd November 2017, 2:15 pmUpdated: 22nd November 2017, 3:15 pm
“SIGNALS” from an Argentine submarine missing in the South Atlantic “have turned out to be a false alarm” – as fears grow the crew’s oxygen has already run out.
The ARA San Juan would have enough oxygen for its crew to survive underwater for seven days, if there was no hull breach, according to officials.
That time was set to run out today, after the sub vanished on Wednesday last week.
But the families of those aboard were given hope today after reports surfaced that rescue crews searching for the missing sub had detected a heat signal beneath the waves.
A new search perimeter was set up after a plane and a ship both reportedly detected signals 185 miles off the coast of Puerto Madryn, 230ft below the sea, according to Clarin.
But those have now been discounted as false alarms, the Argentinian website reports, with Argentine Navy spokesmen Enrique Balbi quoted as saying: "At the moment we have no trace of the submarine."
Ships, including the Royal Navy's HMS Protector, are said to have been sent to the area to see if the signals came from the San Juan.
But they have now reportedly confirmed the signals were false alarms.
The earlier news had prompted a nail-biting wait for the friends and relatives of those on board the vessel, many of which have gathered by a naval base in Mar del Plata.
The San Juan made its last contact with authorities to report a mechanical breakdown.
The 34-year-old German-built diesel-electric submarine – which was refitted between 2007 and 2014 – had flagged a breakdown in its batteries.
It said it was diverting its route from the far south of Argentina's Atlantic waters to the navy base at Mar del Plata, where most of the crew members live.
But it didn't issue a distress call and it was unclear if the problem left the vessel without propulsion or unable to surface.
The search began November 16, when there was no more contact.
The sub's disappearance has gripped the nation, and President Mauricio Macri visited the relatives – troubled by earlier false hopes – and prayed with them.
Underwater sounds first thought to be the crew banging on the hull were later determined to be something else.
A crack Royal Navy team is among those searching for the stricken sub, joining thousands of troops from the US, France, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay.
But some Argie politicians have reacted with fury at the UK’s involvement, branding Brits “pirates” and “occupiers”, in reference to the Falkland Islands.
Izvor:
www.thesun.co.uk
