Rescue teams were engaged in a frantic race on Wednesday as they sought to trace the source of underwater sounds detected in the depths of the North Atlantic. The search operation aimed to locate a tourist submersible carrying five individuals that had vanished while descending to the century-old wreck of the Titanic.
In response to the undersea noises detected by Canadian aircraft on Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard deployed remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in the vicinity.
The submersible in question, named Titan and measuring 21 feet (6.4 meters), was operated by U.S.-based OceanGate Expeditions. Its descent began at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday, but contact with the surface vessel was lost shortly thereafter during what should have been a two-hour dive to the Titanic wreck. According to specifications, the mini-sub was designed to remain submerged for 96 hours, providing sufficient air for its occupants until approximately 1200 GMT on Thursday, assuming it remained intact. However, experts acknowledged that various factors, such as power availability in the frigid depths, influenced this deadline.
The Titanic, a British ocean liner that sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg, lies on the seabed at a depth of around 12,500 feet (3,810 meters). It is located approximately 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 400 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Among the individuals on board the submersible were British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding, 58, and Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, accompanied by his 19-year-old son Suleman, both of whom hold British citizenship. French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, were also reported to be aboard, although authorities have yet to confirm the passengers’ identities.
The search effort, spanning an expansive area of open sea larger than the U.S. state of Connecticut or approximately half the size of Belgium, involved teams from the United States, Canada, and France.
