A US military aircraft involved in the search for the missing Argentinean submarine found a heat-emitting object at the bottom of the ocean.

A metal object at a depth of 70 meters and 300 kilometers from the shores of the Argentine province of Chubut was detected, according to local media.

Rescue ships and planes were directed to the site.

The connection with the San Juan submarine with a 44-member crew was lost last Wednesday. The next day, a rescue operation began, involving nearly 4,000 people with more than ten ships and aircraft from Argentina, the United States, Britain, Chile and Brazil.

According to a spokesman for the Argentinian navy, the operation is approaching a critical point, as the oxygen in the submarine is over.

The weather in the area has improved and this can make it easier to find the submarine.