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Russia to send cargo plane to help search for missing Argentine submarine — media

The Argentine Navy launched an intensive search for it late on November 16

BUENOS AIRES, November 24. /TASS/. Russia will send one of the world’s biggest cargo aircraft to Argentina to help search for the missing San Juan submarine, the Todo Noticias TV channel reported.

According to the TV network, the issue at hand is an aircraft manufactured by the Antonov Concern, which is capable of carrying a load of up to 150 tonnes.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier reported that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu ordered to immediately dispatch a mobile group of specialists from the 328th expedition search and rescue unit of the Navy to Argentina along with the Pantera Plus air-transportable remote-controlled submersible. The Russian Navy’s Yantar oceanographic research vessel has also been sent to the search operation area.

Contact with the San Juan diesel-electric submarine with 44 crew members onboard was lost on November 15. The Argentine Navy launched an intensive search for it late on November 16. On Wednesday, Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said the operation reached a "critical stage" as oxygen could last only seven days.

According to Argentina’s Foreign Ministry, a total of 12 countries have already provided their assistance, including Germany, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Spain, the United States, France, Norway, Peru, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.