Event 'consistent with an explosion' detected where Argentinian submarine went missing

Hopes for the survival of 44 crew members of the missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan all but vanished on Thursday as the country’s navy said a “violent event consistent with an explosion” had been detected three hours after the vessel disappeared in the South Atlantic.  Search vessels were combing an area with a 80-mile radius close to the submarine’s last known position, after analysis from the US and Austria revealed a “hydroacoustic anomaly” on the morning that the ARA San Juan lost contact after reporting a fault with its batteries. Captain Enrique Balbi, a Navy spokesperson, confirmed “a singular event, short, violent, non nuclear, consistent with an explosion” had occurred some 30 miles north of the site the submarine disappeared. Eight days into the search, the revelation of the apparent explosion led to cries of anger from waiting relatives. Speaking outside the Mar del Plata Naval Base, Itati Leguizmon, wife of radarist Germán Oscar Suárez, said she felt “deceived” by Navy officials, who she alleged had “lied to us” and withheld information on the missing submarine. Some relatives had become “aggressive” when they were informed, Ms Leguizmon said, and were “breaking things” inside the base. Captain Balbi defended the delay amid a barrage of questions. He insisted the report from the United States had only been “officially” received on Wednesday and the second from Austria - which offered more details on the source of the anomaly.  Submarine rescue mission The “hydroacoustic anomaly”  was recorded by hydrophones - listening posts scattered around the world’s oceans capable of detecting underwater noise - and the material had to be collated, analysed and cross checked, the spokesman explained. The ARA San Juan had previously reported a short-circuit in its batteries and been ordered to divert to the Mar del Plata naval base; the location of the purported explosion lies on the route it is likely to have taken. Captain Balbi said an explosion inside the submarine could have caused it to implode, which could explain why no debris had been found in the area. Family members have also rounded on authorities over what they say was the decrepit state of the submarine. Built in 1985, the German-made vessel was fully renovated in 2014, and the Argentine government has dismissed complaints over its age, insisting it was well-maintained. But Ms Leguizmon - a lawyer - alleged that the ARA San Juan had in fact suffered a serious fault in 2014, and that all of the crew and their families were well aware of the precarious conditions they were working in. "My husband told me that they had a fault in 2014 and that it was serious, that is all. That it was serious and it generated a bit of tension and fear inside there." She said crew regularly said of the submarine that "it is all held together with wire". Gavin Williamson, the UK Defence Secretary, voiced his sympathy for Argentina.  “This has not just been an agonising time for Argentina, but for our whole international community, and this news is truly devastating for everyone involved in this week’s search and rescue operation," he said. “When it comes to situations like this, nationality doesn’t matter: all sailors have an obligation to help each other in a time of such desperate need. “I’m extremely proud of the role our Navy and Air Force have played in the international effort to help, and I speak on behalf of those involved, and the whole country, in offering our sincerest condolences to Argentina and the family and friends of the crew.”

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