Indonesian submarine loses contact during drill

By Erric Permana

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) – An Indonesian military submarine on Wednesday lost contact during an exercise in the waters off the island of Bali, the military’s chief said.

Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, told reporters that the military has deployed all vessels with underwater detection systems to do searches in an area around 95 kilometers (60 miles) from Bali.

First Adm. Julius Widjojono, head of the Indonesian Navy Information Service, said that the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine lost contact early in the morning.

The submarine was made in 1981 by Howaldtswerke in Kiel, in then-West Germany. It is a 209/1300-type submarine that is widely used by world navies.

*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo with Anadolu Agency's Indonesian-language services in Jakarta