One month on, search goes on for missing Argentine sub

BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's Navy on Friday said efforts continued to locate the ARA San Juan submarine, which disappeared in the south Atlantic on Nov. 15 with a crew of 44.

"In the these 30 days of uninterrupted search efforts, we have investigated 27 contacts with the seabed with no positive results," the navy said in a statement.

The "contacts" turned out to be "sunken fishing boats, rocky formations" and other random objects, the navy said.

The Argentine Air force joined the search efforts with a Hercules C-130 military aircraft, while the Argentine Army supplied trucks to transport gear and equipment.

Some five countries also contributed specialized personnel, as well as planes, ships and high-tech search and rescue devices, including Brazil, Chile, Russia, the UK and the U.S.

"From day one, a team of psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors, both military and civilian ... has worked to support and aid each of the relatives of our 44-member crew," said the navy.

Relatives of the victims have been pressuring the navy to find the sub and retrieve the bodies of their loved ones.

The families called on sympathizers to protest Friday night in town squares around the country, "peacefully and without political banners," to demand the navy not abandon the search.

The ARA is believed to have sunk about 350 kilometers off the coast of southern Patagonia, following an explosion.

Search vessels have been sweeping the area where the submarine is likely to have sunk, but so far to no avail. Enditem