Indonesia's navy is searching for a submarine that went missing north of the resort island of Bali with 53 people on board.

The military confirmed the vessel went missing on Wednesday while participating in a training exercise when it missed a scheduled reporting call.

Local media reports said the navy believes the submarine sank into a trough at a depth of 700 meters.

The defense ministry said in a statement that the submarine lost contact after being granted clearance to dive.

The search now involves five navy ships and a helicopter, and underwater survey ships. 

The military said Australia, the United States, Germany, France, Russia, India and Turkey have also offered assistance.