23 skeletons found inside World War I submarine

New Delhi: Divers have found 23 skeletons inside an intact German World War I submarine off the Belgian coast, a media report said on Thursday.

The dive boat was lying on the floor of the North Sea, The Independent quoted Western Flanders Governor Carl Decaluwe as saying.

“It’s quite amazing that we found something like this,” he said.

The vessel is 27 metres long and 6 metres wide. And it was found at about 25 metres below the surface, the report said.

The submarine may have been hit by a mine as its upper deck was partially damaged.

Images taken by researchers show the vessel, adorned with fishing gear, is “encrusted with barnacles and seaweed”.

However, Decaluwe has declined to provide details about its location as the site is being secured.

It’s the 11th such wreck to be found off Belgian coast, the report said.

Over a dozen such vessels were stationed in the Western Flanders region between 1915 and 1918, and 13 of them were destroyed, it added.