Relatives of the 44 crewmembers who vanished with an Argentine submarine have chained themselves to the fence in front of the presidential offices to demand more efforts to locate the vessel.

The relatives complain that the government has been too slow to contract a private company to continue the search for the ARA San Juan, which disappeared on Nov. 15 in the South Atlantic.

Four people had chained themselves to the fence outside the Casa Rosada on Thursday, and they were supported by about a dozen other relatives.

The last of the 18 nations helping search for the sub pulled out in April and efforts to contract a private operator to continue have been complicated by disputes about which companies are qualified.