Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean are racing against time to find a missing submersible carrying five people on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic.
The carbon-fibre submersible named the Titan, part of a mission by OceanGate Expeditions, carried a pilot, a renowned British adventurer, two members of an iconic Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.
Authorities reported the vessel overdue Sunday night about 700 kilometres south of St John’s, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, according to the country’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
Every passing minute puts the Titan’s crew at greater risk. The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it put to sea at roughly 6am (6.30pm AEST) on Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate.
“It is a remote area — and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area,” said Rear Admiral John Mauger, a commander for the US Coast Guard, which also is searching for the Titan.
Mauger told NBC’s Today show on Tuesday that his crews were working to prioritise underwater search efforts and get equipment there that can be helpful to the search.
“We’re working very, very hard to make sure that we bring all assets … to bring leading technical experts to understand what capability is available, what capability we can get to the team,” he said.
While a lot of the search has been focused on the surface of the water, the team now has underwater search capability on scene, Mauger said.
Multiple air craft have been flying patterns roughly the size of the state of Connecticut – about 13,000 square kilometres – on the surface of the water, Mauger told CNN.
OceanGate, having the most familiarity with the site, and knowing where their submersible was operating, is helping to set priorities, Mauger added.
Read Related Also: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine Actor, Dead At 89
“Our thoughts, as we continue on with search, are with the crew members and their families right now,” Mauger said, adding that teams are working hard to “make sure that we can locate that submersible”.
The Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, which was supporting the Titan, reportedly lost contact with the vessel about an hour and 45 minutes after it submerged.
The Polar Prince was to continue to do surface searches throughout the night and a Canadian Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft will resume their surface and subsurface search in the morning, the US Coast Guard said on Twitter.
Groundbreaking project gives never-before-seen view of Titanic
Two US Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft also have conducted overflights.
The Canadian military also dropped sonar buoys to listen for any possible sounds from the Titan.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
