Isiniwalat ng isang senior defense official ng Estados Unidos na ang pinakabagong nuclear-powered attack submarine ng China ay lumubog sa unang bahagi ng taong ito.

Ayon sa senior defense official ng Estados Unidos, ang bagong first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine ng China ay lumubog sa tabi ng isang pier o pantalan sa pagitan ng Mayo at Hunyo.

Hindi naman malinaw kung ano ang dahilan ng paglubog nito o kung mayroon itong lulan na nuclear fuel noong oras na iyon.

"In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA's internal accountability and oversight of China's defense industry - which has long been plagued by corruption," sinabi ng opisyal, gumamit ng acronym para sa People's Liberation Army.

"It's not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the sinking," dagdag na pahayag ng opisyal.

Ang balita ay unang iniulat ng Wall Street Journal.

Isang serye ng satellite images mula sa Planet Labs mula Hunyo ang lumabas na nagpapakita ng cranes sa Wuchang shipyard, kung saan nakadaong ang submarine.

Sinasabing ang China ay mayroon nang pinakamalaking navy sa mundo, na may 370 barko, at sinimulan na ang paggawa ng bagong henerasyon ng nuclear-armed submarines.

"As of 2022, China had six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines," ayon sa Pentagon report ukol sa China's military.

"That submarine force is expected to grow to 65 by 2025 and 80 by 2035," sinabi ng US Defense Department.