Buenos Aires, November 23 (RHC)--Relatives of the 44 crew members of the missing Argentinian submarine are blaming Argentinian authorities with negligence in the search and rescue operations.

They claim authorities were late in accepting international cooperation and that it took the Navy 48 hours to start the search of the ARA San Juan.

“When they told us that the submarine had disappeared, they said that, by protocol, it should be on the surface, but it was only a guess: if they were looking for a submarine and not a ship, why did not they look for it from the first moment underwater?", said Federico Alfaro, brother of the submarine chief corporal, Cristian David Ibañez.

Relatives of the submarine crew members are currently at the Mar del Plata Naval base awaiting for developments in the operations.

In related news, on Wednesday Russian president Vladimir Putin offered help in finding the submarine, which has been missing since November 15.

The Russian military has sent the “Yantar”, a top-notch research vessel, equipped with submersible drones, to assist the search for the submarine.

The submersibles on the ‘Yantar’ are capable of diving up to 6,000 meters and are equipped with manipulators and other devices for complex underwater operations. The ship itself has advanced detectors, which may help to determine the precise location of the submarine.

The Russian intervention comes at a moment when time is running out for the Argentine submariners, who may still be alive but in danger of running out of oxygen. So far the location of the missing sub has not been pinpointed.