My gratitude also goes out to friendly countries for their efforts and hard work in the search for KRI Nanggala.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo has expressed gratitude to friendly nations for their assistance in the search for the missing Indonesian submarine KRI Nenggala 402.

"My gratitude also goes out to friendly countries for their efforts and hard work in the search for KRI Nanggala," the head of state noted at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

The submarine, with 53 people aboard, lost contact early on Wednesday (April 21) in the waters north of Bali Island while conducting torpedo drills.

It was not until Sunday (April 25) that KRI Nanggala-402 was declared to have sunk, with all its 53 crew members pronounced dead on the basis of authentic evidence retrieved from accurate scanning.

"I also highly laud the TNI/Polri (Indonesian Military and Police), Basarnas (the National Search and Rescue Agency), Bakamla (the Maritime Security Board), BPPT (the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, and KNKT (the National Committee for Transportation Accident), as well as all elements that I cannot mention one by one for their maximum efforts to locate the KRI Nanggaa-402," he remarked.

The president confirmed that the government will grant a rank promotion for 53 fallen crew members of KRI Nanggala-402 to a level higher in recognition of their dedication and sacrifice.

"The government will also guarantee the education of their children until they study at the university," he stated.

The KRI Nanggala-402 submarine went off the radar on Wednesday (April 22) during live torpedo training exercises off the Indonesian holiday island of Bali.

The 40-year-old submarine was found disintegrated into three pieces on the sea bed after five days of search efforts. All 53 crew members of the vessel are confirmed dead.

Indonesia's Navy officials spoke of having received signals from the submarine more than 800 meters deep early on Sunday.

An underwater rescue vehicle, loaned by Singapore, was sent down to obtain visual confirmation of the wreckage.

Built in Germany in 1977, KRI Nanggala was refitted in South Korea in 2012.

Neighboring Singapore and Malaysia as well as the United States and Australia were among the nations that extended assistance to look for the submarine, with nearly two dozen warships deployed to scour a search zone spanning some 10 square nautical miles. Related news: Rank promotion declared for 53 fallen crew members of Nanggala-402

Related news: President vows to continue search efforts for missing submarine crew

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