Submarine disappears in Indonesia 0:43
Washington (CNN) -
An unidentified object was seen at the site of the ongoing search for a missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew members on board.
Authorities warn that oxygen will run out in a few hours.
An Indonesian naval ship detected an object with "strong magnetic resonance" at a depth of 50 to 100 meters, Maj. Gen. Achmad Riyadh, head of the army's central information unit, said during a press conference on Friday.
The Indonesian navy expects its warship, the Riguel, to reach the search area on Friday morning local time, Riyadh added.
The Riguel is equipped with high-tech sonar, which uses sound waves to locate objects, and the navy is hoping to find the KRI Nanggala-402, a German-made submarine that lost contact during a military exercise in the Strait of Bali early Wednesday morning local time.
Few hours of oxygen left
Admiral Yudo Margono, the Indonesian Navy chief of staff, told a news conference Thursday that the vessel has enough oxygen for all divers until 3 a.m. local time on Saturday.
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Answering questions about the status of the submarine before participating in the war simulation, Margono said that the KRI Nanggala-402 and its entire crew are well prepared.
It last docked for maintenance in 2020 in Surabaya, a port city on the island of Java, he said.
The military suspects that an oil spill seen on aerial surveillance near the dive site on Wednesday came from the ship.
Margono said there are two possibilities to explain the oil spill detected on the surface: The submarine tank could have a leak because it dived too deep, or the submarine released liquid on board in an attempt to rise to the surface.
Indonesian Navy spokesman First Admiral Julius Widjojono said the submarine has the ability to dive up to 500 meters below sea level, but authorities estimate it was 100 to 200 meters deeper than that.
They send international aid to locate the submarine
Australia, Singapore and the United States sent support for the search for the missing submarine, and Australia announced in a press release on Friday that it will send two ships to the site.
"The ships HMA Ballarat and Sirius, both currently at sea in separate regional deployments, are achieving the best speed for the search area," the Australian Defense Department said in a press release on Friday.
Rear Admiral Mark Hammond of the Australian task force added that his thoughts were with the KRI Nanggala divers, their families and the Indonesian people.
"As always, we stand ready to assist our fellow Indonesian Navy sailors," he said.
The United States is sending planes to assist in the search for the missing Indonesian submarine, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby tweeted Thursday.
"We are deeply saddened by the news of the loss of the Indonesian submarine, and our thoughts are with the Indonesian sailors and their families," he said.
Kirby also said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would speak with his Indonesian counterpart on Friday morning to discuss what else the United States can do to help.
The US assets will join an expanding search effort.
Three submarines, five aircraft and 21 warships have been deployed to help search for the missing submarine, Margono said.
Assets from Singapore and Malaysia are also on the way to help.
Submarine