For the crew members of the missing Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala 402 the clock is ticking, despite an all-out effort by several countries to save the 53-member crew.

So far, there has been mixed news about the prospects of the rescue, which has caught global attention. The fear is that the supply of oxygen that would be available inside the stricken sub will last only another 24 hours.

But the Guardian newspaper quoted the Indonesia’s naval chief Yudo Margono as saying that rescuers had found an unidentified object with high magnetism at a depth of 50-100m (165-330ft). Officials hoped it would be the submarine.

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The Indonesian naval chief said they were waiting for a navy ship with underwater detection facilities to arrive in the area to advance the investigation.

A herculean international effort has been mounted to rescue the boat, with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo leading the way. “I have ordered the military chief, navy chief of staff, the search and rescue agency and other instances to deploy all the forces and the most optimal efforts to find and rescue the submarine crew,” he said on Thursday, pointing to the urgency of the task. “The main priority is the safety of the 53 crew members.”

Admiral Margono, on his part pointed out that that calm condition was helping the progress of daring rescue mission, which was working against the odds.

Apart from Malaysia, Australia and Singapore, India, a key player in the Indo-Pacific has been among the first responders to react in order to avert the tragedy. The navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), bought in 2018 for the United Kingdom, departed from Visakhapatnam to support Indonesian Navy in Search and Rescue efforts, the Indian Navy said. “In this moment of crisis our prayers are with the Indonesia Navy, our brothers- in- arms on board KRI Nanggala and their families,” the Indian Navy tweeted.

Indonesia’s military chief, Hadi Tjahjanto said the submarine “KRI Nanggala 402” was participating in a training exercise when it missed a scheduled reporting call. Indonesian media says that the defence ministry has sought help from neighbouring India, Australia and Singapore, which have submarine rescue vessels.

“India is amongst the few countries in the world capable of undertaking Search and Rescue of a disabled submarine through a DSRV. Indian Navy’s DSRV system can locate a submarine up to 1000 metres in depth, utilising its state-of-the-art Side Scan Sonar (SSS) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV),” said the India’s defence ministry said in a statement.

Also on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted about sending the DSRV intervention system, equipment and machinery, which can help in the operations, by air. The officials of the two countries are in touch at the diplomatic level for further consultations.

The US Defence Department is sending “airborne assets” to assist in the submarine search, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Twitter.

Ahn Guk-hyeon, an official from South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, which refitted the vessel in 2009-2012, was quoted as saying that the submarine would collapse if it goes deeper than around 200m. He added that his company had upgraded much of the submarine’s internal structures and systems but recent information about the vessel of German origin, was lacking.