A British intelligence report has made a shocking revelation that at least 55 Chinese sailors are believed to have died after Beijing’s nuclear submarine got caught in a trap set up for British subsurface vessels in the Yellow Sea.
A “chain and anchor” trap was encountered by the submarine, according to a confidential UK intelligence report. The said confidential report suggests that 55 Chinese sailors, including the captain and 21 officers, may have died due to a “catastrophic failure” in the oxygen systems of the vessel which resulted in the poisoning of the whole crew.
Reportedly, the captain of the Chinese PLA Navy submarine ‘093-417’ and 21 other officers were among those killed.
Meanwhile, China has denied that the incident transpired. In addition, China has also turned down foreign help for the trapped submarine.
According to the UK report, an onboard accident happened on August 21 during a mission in the Yellow Sea, killing 55 crew members, including officers, officer cadets, petty officers, and sailors. The cause is hypoxia, which is said to be triggered by a system failure on the submarine.
The submarine collided with a chain and anchor impediment deployed by the Chinese Navy to trap US and allied submarines, causing system failures and a six-hour battle to surface. The crew was poisoned after the onboard oxygen system failed catastrophically. There is yet to be independent corroboration of the incident. China disputes open-source speculation. Moreover, even Taiwan denies these claims.
“This resulted in systems failures that took six hours to repair and surface the vessel. The onboard oxygen system poisoned the crew after a catastrophic failure,” the report reads.
A British submariner, speaking anonymously about the incident, offered insight into the potential air treatment failures that could lead to such dire situations.
Certain countries’ advanced CO2 absorption and oxygen generation capabilities, he highlighted in a Daily Mail report, may not be as readily available to others, compounding the vulnerabilities at sea.
Reports suggest that the Type 093 submarines, which have a 351-foot length and are among China’s modern and quietest fleets, entered service within the last 15 years when the incident took place, rendering it all the more serious.
The alleged sinking happened off the coast of China’s Shandong Province, and if proven, the scenario could have repercussions for maritime policies as well as global ties.
