The Argentina Navy on Thursday ended its efforts to rescue the crew members of a submarine that went missing in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Patagonia on November 16, reported BBC. The Navy said there was no chance that any of the 44 crew members were still alive.
“Despite the magnitude of the efforts made, it has not been possible to locate the submarine,” Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said on Thursday. Over a dozen boats and aircraft from Argentina, the United States, Britain, Chile and Brazil were looking for the missing submarine, ARA San Juan.
“No one will be rescued,” Balbi said. He, however, said that the hunt for a wreck on the seabed would continue, reported The Guardian.
Any hope of finding the 44 missing crew members was removed on November 20 after the Navy confirmed that seven failed calls did not come from the vessel. Balbi 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”.
Earlier reports had said the submarine had only enough air to last seven to 10 days if it has remained fully immersed since it disappeared.
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