Shruti Suman
A tragic event occurred when a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine experienced a catastrophic failure, resulting in the loss of 55 lives. According to leaked British intelligence reports cited by The Times, this incident unfolded in the Yellow Sea, where the submarine was ensnared in a trap intended for American and British vessels. Notably, the Chinese government, as well as Taiwan, has denied the submarine’s loss.
The British intelligence report identified the ill-fated PLA Navy submarine as 093-417 and revealed that it suffered a catastrophic failure on August 21, leading to the tragic demise of its captain and 21 officers, among others. The submarine reportedly ran out of oxygen near Shandong province, north of Shanghai, after becoming entangled in seabed defenses established by its own military.
According to the report, the fatalities were attributed to hypoxia, a condition caused by a lack of oxygen resulting from a system malfunction on the submarine. The vessel collided with a chain and anchor obstacle used by the Chinese navy to ensnare US and allied submarines, leading to system failures that took six hours to repair and surface the vessel. Tragically, the on-board oxygen system malfunctioned, poisoning the crew.
The leaked intelligence was highly classified and is expected to prompt a thorough investigation to determine the source of the leak. Rumors regarding this incident involving the Shang-class submarine had been circulating on social media for over a month before being officially acknowledged.
China possesses six Type-093 attack submarines, each with a displacement of 6,096 tonnes and equipped with 553mm torpedoes. These nuclear-powered submarines, designed for reduced noise compared to earlier models, have been in service for approximately 15 years, as reported by The Times.
