Defence
Chinese Type-093 Nuclear Attack Submarine Suffers Accident At Sea, Claims Lives Of 55 PLA Navy Sailors: Report
Chinese People Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type-093 nuclear attack submarine. (image via Popular Science)
In a tragic incident in the Yellow Sea, it is believed that at least fifty-five Chinese sailors lost their lives in an accident involving a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) nuclear attack submarine, reported UK-based Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail citing a confidential UK intelligence report indicated that the crew members died due to a catastrophic failure in the submarine's oxygen systems, leading to oxygen poisoning.
According to the Daily Mail, the UK secret report stated: "Intelligence reports indicate that on 21 August, an onboard accident occurred while the submarine was on a mission in the Yellow Sea. The incident took place at 08:12 local time, resulting in the tragic loss of 55 crew members — 22 officers, 7 officer cadets, 9 petty officers, and 17 sailors."
"The cause of death appears to be hypoxia due to a system malfunction aboard the submarine. The vessel struck a chain and anchor obstacle utilised by the Chinese Navy to ensnare US and allied submarines. This collision caused system failures, requiring six hours to repair and resurface the vessel. The crew was poisoned by the onboard oxygen system following a catastrophic failure," the report further stated.
The report also disclosed that among the casualties was Colonel Xue Yong-Peng, the captain of the Chinese PLA Navy submarine '093-417,' along with 21 other officers.
The incident reportedly occurred in waters near China's Shandong Province.
It's important to note that there is currently no independent confirmation of the reported loss of the Chinese submarine available to the public.
China has dismissed speculations regarding the incident as "completely false."
The Daily Mail reached out to the Royal Navy for comments on the details mentioned in the UK report. However, official sources declined to provide any statements or guidance, highlighting the high level of secrecy surrounding the UK report, which is based on defence intelligence.
According to the report, the nuclear attack submarine involved in the accident is the Type 093 nuclear attack submarine (SSN), which has been in operation for a little over 15 years.
Type-093 nuclear attack submarines have a length of 107 metres and are capable of firing torpedoes and cruise missiles.
It is worth noting that nuclear attack submarines are distinct from nuclear warhead ballistic missile-carrying submarines (SSBNs). SSNs use nuclear energy to power themselves but carry only conventional warheads, while SSBNs carry ballistic missiles with live nuclear warheads.
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