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The submarine "KRI Nanggala-402"
Photo: ZUMA Wire / imago images
It is a race against time off the coast of Bali: Indonesia has intensified the search for the military submarine »KRI Nanggala-402«, which has been missing since Wednesday, with 53 seamen on board.
Experts believe the crew will only have enough oxygen until early Saturday morning.
"Save our sailors," was the headline of the Jakarta Post newspaper on Friday.
The clock is ticking.
"Every second counts in this rescue operation." Contact with the submarine built in Germany in the late 1970s was broken early on Wednesday morning during a military exercise.
Since then, the Indonesian Navy has been searching for the ship with the help of other countries.
Now the search is possibly a step further: Rescue workers reported evidence of a magnetic object at a depth of around 50 to 100 meters.
Ships with special equipment on board were dispatched to the place - in the hope that it could be the »KRI Nanggala 402«.
"We hope for a bright spot," said a spokesman for the Indonesian military.
The USA is also helping with the search
The US announced that it would help Indonesia find it.
"At the invitation of the Indonesian government, we are sending aircraft to help in the search for the missing submarine," tweeted the spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will talk to his Indonesian colleague Prabowo Subianto about further aid.
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo wanted to travel to the port city of Banyuwangi on Java on Friday.
The rescue ships started from there.
In a televised address he had previously asked people to pray for the seamen to be saved.
"I would like to say to the families of the crew that I can understand their feelings and that we will do our best to save all crew members on board."
Relatives were waiting for news from the search parties.
Yayak Dwi Ernawati said she believed in the safe return of her son-in-law, who only married her daughter two months ago.
"Three days after the wedding, he left for Surabaya and told us on Monday that he would take part in the military exercise," the news agency "Antara News" quoted the woman as saying.
"We haven't received full information from the military base yet."
Indonesia has a total of five submarines built in Germany and South Korea.
The construction of the now missing 1300-ton submarine of the type 209 by the industrial giant ThyssenKrupp began in 1978.
In 1981 it was delivered to Indonesia.
as / AFP / dpa