BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina has given up on rescuing 44 crew members on a submarine that disappeared 15 days ago, though it will continue the search for the vessel with international assistance, a navy spokesman said on Thursday. The crew had been ordered to return to a naval base in Mar del Plata after reporting water had entered the vessel through its snorkel. "More than double the number of days have passed where it would have been possible to rescue the crew," navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told a news conference. Luis Tagliapietra, whose son was on the submarine, said some 12 families had found out the rescue mission was abandoned from the televised news conference. "Despite the magnitude of our search it has not been possible to find the submarine," he said.

Source: The Star November 30, 2017 22:03 UTC