The government of Argentina has sacked Navy Admiral Marcelo Srur following the disappearance of submarine ARA San Juan which went missing in the South Atlantic more than a month ago, officials said Saturday.
Defence Minister Oscar Aguad said he sacked Srur after different versions surfaced in recent days about the alleged poor performance of the navy after the vessel’s disappearance.
In addition, the government has established a special commission to investigate the technical issues behind the loss of the submarine and its 44 crew members and to look into an “internal crisis” in the country’s navy, according to media reports.
READ ALSO: ‘Absolutely grisly.’ A woman was mauled to death by her own dogs
On Tuesday, the navy suspended two navy chiefs over the disappearance of the submarine, which is believed to have exploded while travelling from the southern port of Ushuaia to its base at Mar del Plata.
The Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) reported an event consistent with an explosion along the submarine’s route, 430 kilometres off the coast and 1,300 kilometres south of Buenos Aires.
The ARA San Juan had previously reported a short-circuit in its batteries.
Family members of the missing crew marched in Mar del Plata Friday to push their demands that the government keep looking for the missing vessel.
NAN
