An Argentine submarine with 44 crew on board was missing in the South Atlantic two days after its last communication, prompting the navy to step up its search efforts late on Friday in difficult, stormy conditions
A Nasa research plane has joined the search for the vessel. Pic/AFP
An Argentine submarine with 44 crew on board was missing in the South Atlantic two days after its last communication, prompting the navy to step up its search efforts late on Friday in difficult, stormy conditions. The ARA San Juan was in the southern Argentine sea 432 km from the Patagonian coast when it sent its last signal on Wednesday, naval spokesman Enrique Balbi said.
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A Nasa research plane has joined the search for the vessel. Pic/AFP
The emergency operation was formally upgraded to a search-and-rescue procedure on Friday after no visual or radar contact was made with the submarine, Balbi said. "Detection has been difficult despite the quantity of boats and aircraft involved in the search," Balbi said, noting that heavy winds and high waves were complicating efforts. The navy believes the submarine had communication difficulties that may have been caused by an electrical outage, Balbi said.