Argentina ends missing submarine rescue mission

Buenos Aires, Dec 1 (IANS) The Argentine navy announced that it has abandoned attempts to rescue 44 crew members on board a submarine that disappeared two weeks ago, the media reported on Friday.

On Thursday night, navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said: "Despite the magnitude of the efforts made, it has not been possible to locate the ARA San Juan."

He said the search for the submarine had been "extended to more than double the number of days that determine the possibilities of rescuing the crew", reports the BBC.

Despite not being able to confirm the fate of the crew, "no evidence of a shipwreck was found in the areas explored".

Balbi added that the rescue mission has now changed to a search mission for a wreck on the seabed in the area where the ARA San Juan is believed to have vanished.

Ships and aircraft still are scouring the South Atlantic for the ARA San Juan, which disappeared November 15 a few hundred kilometres off Argentina's coast, reports CNN.

It was travelling from a base in Argentina's far southern Tierra del Fuego archipelago to its home base in Mar del Plata.

According to the navy, the search mission would involve a reorganisation of the vessels and other assets that have been already deployed, and the operation will continue until the submarine is found.

The Argentine navy had previously said the vessel's captain reported a short circuit in the submarine's battery system shortly before the last known contact.

On Tuesday, the navy said a sound consistent with an explosion was detected in the ocean near the vessel's last known location on the day it disappeared.

Officials have said the submarine had enough air for seven to 10 days when submerged.