A tragic incident has unfolded in the Yellow Sea, where it is feared that 55 Chinese sailors may have lost their lives. Reports indicate that their nuclear submarine became ensnared in a trap initially designed for foreign vessels. According to a UK intelligence report, the fatal outcome was due to a catastrophic malfunction in the submarine’s oxygen systems, resulting in the poisoning of the entire crew.
The submarine reportedly encountered a “chain and anchor” trap, a mechanism used by the Chinese Navy to ensnare submarines of other nations. This unforeseen encounter led to a dire situation, with the submariners succumbing to hypoxia, a lack of oxygen. Among the tragic casualties were the submarine’s captain, identified as Captain Colonel Xue Yong-Peng, and 21 other officers.
China has officially denied the occurrence of this incident and reportedly declined offers of international assistance for the stranded submarine, which had been in service for less than 15 years.
More about the submarine incident:
The UK report offers insights into the harrowing mission, revealing that on August 21st, an onboard accident had occurred during a mission in the Yellow Sea at 08:12 local time. This incident resulted in the unfortunate loss of 55 crew members, comprising 22 officers, 7 officer cadets, 9 petty officers, and 17 Chinese sailors.
Notably, Captain Colonel Xue Yong-Peng was among those who lost their lives. The report suggests that their deaths were because of hypoxia, stemming from a system failure on the submarine.
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The report also highlights that the submarine collided with the chain and anchor obstacle. The Chinese Navy employed it to ensnare US and allied submarines. This collision resulted in system failures that took six hours to repair and bring the vessel to the surface, with the onboard oxygen system facing catastrophic malfunction.
It’s important to note that there is no independent confirmation of this tragic incident involving the Chinese submarine. Beijing has vehemently dismissed speculations surrounding the incident as entirely false, and Taiwan has also denied reports circulating on the internet. The UK report, detailing the incident, remains highly classified and is based on defense intelligence.