Mystery surrounds Chinese submarine disaster in Yellow Sea

In a harrowing incident, 55 Chinese sailors are feared dead as their nuclear submarine reportedly encountered a perilous situation meant to ensnare British sub-surface vessels in the Yellow Sea.

According to a classified UK report, these seamen tragically lost their lives due to a catastrophic failure of the submarine's oxygen systems, resulting in the poisoning of the crew.

Among the deceased is believed to be the captain of the Chinese PLA Navy submarine '093-417,' along with 21 other officers.

Officially, China has vehemently denied the occurrence of such an incident. Furthermore, it appears that Beijing refrained from seeking international assistance for its distressed submarine.

The UK report delves into the grim details of this fatal mission, stating: 'Intelligence reports indicate that on the 21st of August, an onboard accident occurred during a mission in the Yellow Sea.

This tragedy bears eerie similarities to the Kursk catastrophe, where over 100 Russian sailors perished in August 2000 due to an explosion aboard their nuclear submarine, the Kursk. The Kremlin initially denied the reports and declined assistance from Britain and Norway until it was too late to save those still trapped within the stricken vessel. The Kursk disaster remains the most significant submarine tragedy in history, claiming 118 lives. During an exercise in the Barents Sea, one of the torpedoes exploded as the crew prepared for a test launch, causing additional torpedoes to detonate and sink the submarine.

The UK report continues: 'The incident occurred 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. Among the deceased is Colonel Xue Yong-Peng, the captain.

'Our understanding suggests that the deaths were caused by hypoxia resulting from a system fault on the submarine. The submarine inadvertently struck a chain and anchor obstacle employed by the Chinese Navy to ensnare US and allied submarines.

'This collision led to a cascade of systems failures, taking six hours to repair and surface the vessel. The onboard oxygen system subsequently poisoned the crew after a catastrophic failure.'

As of now, there is no independent verification of the suspected loss of the Chinese submarine in the public domain. Beijing has categorically dismissed speculations regarding the incident as 'entirely untrue,' and Taiwan has also refuted online reports.

Mail Plus approached the Royal Navy to discuss the details contained in the UK report, but official sources refrained from commenting or providing insights.

The UK report, which relies on defense intelligence, maintains a high classification.

A British submariner offered a possible explanation: 'It is plausible that this event occurred, and I doubt the Chinese would have sought international assistance for obvious reasons.

'If they were ensnared in the net system, and the submarine's batteries were running low (plausible), then eventually, the air purifiers and air treatment systems could have malfunctioned.

'This would have forced a switch to secondary systems, which, in turn, may have also failed to maintain adequate air quality. This could have resulted in asphyxiation or poisoning.

'We possess technology that absorbs CO2 and generates oxygen in such circumstances. It is probable that other nations lack such capabilities.'

The Chinese Type 093 submarines have been in service for the past 15 years. These vessels measure 351 feet in length.