The World : 23 Rescued From Peru Sub

Rescuers freed 23 sailors trapped in a sunken Peruvian navy submarine after a collision with a Japanese fishing trawler off the coast of Peru, President Alan Garcia said at a press conference in Lima. Seven of the 52 crew members, including the commander, died in the accident. “This was an example of Peruvian bravery,” Garcia said of the dramatic rescue operation. The navy used a diving bell to enter the submarine and pull out the men, who had been trapped since Friday night. Garcia said the impact plunged the crew into darkness as water and chloride slowly filled the craft. The navy, which is still investigating the accident, said the submarine was lying in 100 feet of water 4 miles from Callao, near Lima. Peru bought the submarine from the United States in 1974. The vessel, formerly named the Atule, was commissioned in 1944.