The report suggests that 55 Chinese sailors, including the captain and 21 officers, may have died due to a “catastrophic failure” in the vessel’s oxygen systems. There has been no confirmation from China yet.

Beijing: At least fifty-five Chinese sailors are believed to have died in a tragic submarine accident in the Yellow Sea. According to a confidential UK report, the crew members perished due to a “catastrophic failure” in the submarine’s oxygen systems, leading to their poisoning. Among the deceased were the captain of the Chinese PLA Navy submarine ‘093-417,’ identified as Colonel Xue Yong-Peng, and 21 other officers, the Daily Mail reported quoting a secret UK report.

A classified briefing obtained by the Mail reads: “Intelligence reports that on 21st of August, there was an on-board accident while carrying out a mission in the Yellow Sea.

The alleged accident led to a series of system failures that took approximately six hours to resolve. During this window, the onboard oxygen system purportedly malfunctioned, poisoning the crew. It appears that the submarine ran into a trap originally meant to ensnare British and US submarines, the publication added.

The incident took place at 08:12 local time, resulting in the tragic loss of 55 crew members: 22 officers, 7 officer cadets, 9 petty officers, and 17 sailors. The cause of death appears to be hypoxia due to a system malfunction aboard the submarine.

As per the Daily Mail report, the Chinese Type 093 submarines have been in operation for the past 15 years. These vessels, measuring 351 feet in length, are equipped with torpedoes.urrently, there is no independent confirmation of the suspected loss of the Chinese submarine available to the public. China has dismissed speculations about the incident as “completely false”.

The Chinese Type 093 submarines, which have been in service for the past 15 years, are 351 feet long and equipped with torpedoes. Known for their lower noise levels, one of these submarines is believed to have sunk in waters off China’s Shandong Province.

A British submariner, discussing the incident anonymously, shed light on the potential air treatment failures that could lead to such grim circumstances.