- Title: Argentine Navy believes missing sub suffered explosion due to hydrogen build-up
- Date: 28th November 2017
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (NOVEMBER 28, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINE NAVY SPOKESPERSON, ENRIQUE BALBI, SAYING: "As we get indications, the scenarios change and we interpret [the indications] [to say] that the explosion was due to a concentration of hydrogen."
- Embargoed: 12th December 2017 18:22
- Keywords: missing sub explosion ARA San Juan
- Location: BUENOS AIRES AND USHUAIA AND MAR DEL PLATA, ARGENTINA
- City: BUENOS AIRES AND USHUAIA AND MAR DEL PLATA, ARGENTINA
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Sea Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA00379E49QF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The explosion that a missing Argentine military submarine suffered could have been caused by an accumulation of hydrogen after the ship reported a short on its bow batteries, a Navy spokesperson said on Tuesday (November 28).
The ARA San Juan and its 44-person crew sent its last signal on Wednesday (November 15) some 430 kilometres off the coast of Patagonia just hours before an explosion was detected in the area.
Argentine Navy spokesperson Enrique Balbi said that blast could have been charged by a build-up of hydrogen. He explained that the electric batteries of the submarine constantly generate hydrogen which must be expelled from the ship because it is potentially explosive.
The search for the ship is concentrating on one circular area of almost 4,100 square kilometers in the South Atlantic, following the track of the detected explosion. It is a massive international effort, involving dozens of ships and aircraft from several countries including the United States, the UK and Brazil.
Balbi added that poor weather was hindering the search progress. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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