Sub crew declared dead after wreckage found

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia - Indonesia's military on Sunday officially acknowledged there was no hope of finding survivors from a submarine that sank and broke apart last week with 53 crew members aboard, and said search teams had located the vessel's wreckage on the ocean floor.

The Nanggala-402 was broken into three parts at the depth of 838 meters under the sea, Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said.

"There, the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine was found in three big parts," he told a news conference, saying the next step is to lift the wreckage with the help of foreign navies.

Indonesian Military Chief Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed that all the 53 crew members were dead after components of the vessel were found.

"Based on the authentic evidence, it can be stated that all the crews of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine have been dead. For that, I express a deep condolence."

The grim announcement came a day after Indonesia said the submarine was considered sunk.