Discovered San Juan Sub Deformed With Signs of Explosion - Argentine Navy Chief

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - The ARA San Juan submarine, which disappeared in 2017 and was recently located by US company Ocean Infinity, was found deformed and with signs of an explosion, the commander of Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata Attis told relatives of the sailors.

"[The submarine's hull is] totally deformed, collapsed and imploded… and remnants scattered within a radius of 70 meters [230 feet]," Gabriel Attis said on Saturday, as quoted by the Telam news agency.

READ MORE: Argentina's Navy Resumes Search for Missing ARA San Juan Submarine

The deformation occurred presumably as a result of an explosion directed inward, he noted stressing further that the hull did not fall apart and no visible holes were found on it, despite the deformation.

He specified that the vessel was discovered at a depth of 907 meters.

The commander's comments come after submarine with over 40 crew on board went missing following reporting about a technical malfunction. The search and rescue operation for the submarine involved equipment and personnel from various countries, including Russia.

The Argentinian authorities scrapped the rescue 15 days after the sub stopped communicating but pledged that the search for the vehicle would continue.