MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Argentina’s authorities have declared a 98 mln peso ($ 4.9 mln) reward for information that could help find the ARA San Juan submarine that went missing last November. The statement was published on Wednesday by the Argentine defense ministry, the Telam agency reported.
The reward will be given to a person who "will provide information and reliable data that will make it possible to pinpoint the exact location" of the submarine. The document highlights that the authorities "consider it necessary to continue to allocate budget and material resources to continue the search" for the submarine, but for this purpose "private sector enterprises" should be involved as well.
The San Juan diesel-electric submarine that left Argentina’s city of Ushuaia carrying 44 crew members onboard was lost on November 15. On November 30, Argentina’s navy called off the rescue operation, but the search for the submarine continues.
Argentine Navy Spokesman Enrique Balbi said earlier that the end date for participation of Russian experts and the Yantar oceanographic vessel in the search operation has not been declared yet. However, he admitted that international help cannot continue forever.