Updated

Argentina's navy is insisting that a missing submarine seemed to be in good condition when it set off on a training mission, despite fears it later exploded beneath the sea with 44 crew members aboard.

Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi says the sub passed a routine check two days before setting sail.

Hopes for survivors are dimming as the ARA San Juan enters its 10th day missing — which Is what experts had said would likely be the limit of its oxygen supply even if it remained intact beneath the sea.

But a multinational search and rescue effort continued Saturday. A Norwegian ship carrying a U.S. undersea rescue module was preparing to weigh anchor for the search zone, despite worsening weather.