Chinese nuclear-powered submarine sank earlier this year: Report

A modern Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarine sank earlier this year, news agency Reuters reported, citing US officials.

Sharing the details, a US defence official told Reuters that China's new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier sometime between May and June, though the exact cause behind the sinking of the submarine was not clear.

"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 defence industry - which has long been plagued by corruption," the US official was quoted as saying on the matter.

The Chinese Navy, which is one of the largest navies in the world, operates over 370 ships and is also developing several new generations of nuclear-armed submarines to become a blue-water navy.

According to a Pentagon report, China had 48 diesel-powered attack submarines and six nuclear-powered attack submarines at the end of 2022.

The official said it was not clear what caused the recent sinking or whether the submarine had nuclear fuel on board at the time.

"It's not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal" the incident, the official was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government is yet to respond to the reports of the sinking of a nuclear-powered submarine.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the submarine was the first Zhou-class vessel -- a new class of Chinese nuclear-powered submarines that feature a distinctive X-shaped stern, which is designed to make the vessel more manoeuvrable.

The submarine was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation and was observed docked on the Yangtze River in May this year for final testing before going for deep-sea missions.

After the sinking, large floating cranes arrived in early June to salvage the sub from the river bed, according to satellite photos of the site.