Social media posts falsely claim Indonesian submarine's crew were found alive
Last updated on: 27 April,2021 09:47 am
Indonesia's military confirmed all the submarine's crew members died.
AFP – Social media posts claim that all crew members of an Indonesian navy submarine that went missing on April 21, 2021 were found alive one day later.
This claim is false: Indonesia’s military confirmed all the submarine’s crew members died after the remains of the destroyed submarine were discovered on the seafloor in waters off Bali on April 25, 2021.
The claim was shared on Facebook on April 22, 2021.
The post’s Indonesian-language caption translates to English as: “Praise be to God, Submarine Nanggal 402 Has Been Found ALL SURVIVE.”
The Indonesian navy lost contact with the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine during a naval exercise off the coast of Bali on April 21, AFP reported. There were 53 crew members on board when the vessel went missing.
A similar claim, that the vessel was found less than 24 hours after it went missing, was shared on Facebook, on Twitter and in blog posts.
The claim, however, is false.
The Indonesian military announced all the submarine’s crew members had died after rescue teams located parts of the missing submarine more than 800 metres below the sea surface on April 25, 2021. AFP reported on the news.
“There were parts of KRI Nanggala 402 — it was broken into three pieces,” said Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono.
Indonesian armed forces chief Hadi Tjahjanto said that “all 53 personnel onboard have passed”.
The news was also reported by Indonesian media, including Kompas.com and Tempo.co.