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Trapped in a 'metal coffin' on the ocean floor

When the Peruvian submarine Pacocha crashed and plunged 42 metres down to the seabed with 22 sailors inside, it was First Lieutenant Roger Cotrina Alvarado's job to save his crew.

In 1988, after colliding with a fishing trawler at the surface, the Peruvian submarine Pacocha began to sink. Some of the sailors started to abandon ship and First Lieutenant Roger Cotrina Alvarado had to make a choice - jump overboard and live, or go back inside the submarine for the rest of the crew. The sinking submarine dragged him and 21 others down 42 metres to the ocean floor. With oxygen running out, it would become Roger's job to find a way to escape. This story originally aired in two parts on 10 and 17 July 2021.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Clayton Conn
Producers: Clayton Conn and Mariana Des Forges
Interpreter: Martin Esposito

(Image: Collage of photographs of the Pacocha, crew, the submarine and Roger Cotrina Alvarado. Credit: All courtesy of Roger Cotrina Alvarado)

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41 minutes

Last on

Wed 1 Sep 2021 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 31 Aug 2021 11:06GMT
  • Tue 31 Aug 2021 17:06GMT
  • Wed 1 Sep 2021 02:06GMT

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