According to Western intelligence estimates, 55 Chinese sailors were killed when a nuclear submarine became stuck underwater. However, China had denied this.
Reports by UK intelligence specialists indicate that the 107m sub struck a special chain and anchor catch designed to trap Western vessels that keep lurking off the Shandong region in China.
According to the Sun, the crew perished due to a “catastrophic failure” of the sub’s oxygen system.
It is unclear whether the trap impaired the oxygen system or if the crew had suffocated before the sub sunk and got trapped.
The submarine is thought to be a Type 093 with torpedoes and stealthy “ghost” engines.
According to a confidential briefing acquired by the Mail, on the 21st of August, there was an accident on board while conducting a mission in the waters of the Yellow Sea.
The incident took place at 08.12 local time, killing 55 crew personnel: 9 petty officers, 7 officer cadets, 22 officers, and 17 sailors.
Among the dead is Capt. Colonel Xue Yong-Peng.
It is understood that the cause of death was hypoxia as a result of a system failure on the submarine. The sub reportedly collided with a Chinese navy chain and anchor issue meant for trapping the US and its allied submarines.
As a result, the systems failed and it took about six hours for repair and to finally surface the vessel.
The oxygen system onboard poisoned crew members following a catastrophic failure.
