The search for a missing tourist submarine at the Titanic wreck continues. The Coast Guard has dispatched aircraft and rescue vessels to the remote location in the Atlantic. But it’s in a hurry: The oxygen for the five people on board is enough for 96 hours.
Additional rescue vessels are expected to arrive at the remote wreck site in the coming days.
– It is a remote area and it is a challenge to carry out a search there, says John Mauger, commander of the coast guard in Boston in the USA.
Five people were on board when the 6.5 meter long craft sank into the depths of the Atlantic at the wreck site on Sunday morning, local time.
One hour and 45 minutes after the descent, the icebreaker and companion ship Polar Prince lost contact with the submarine.
Using sonar
The US Coast Guard has also sent out Hercules planes that search the surface, while the Canadian Coast Guard has deployed aircraft that use buoys equipped with sonar.
– We deploy all available resources to ensure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board, says Mauger.
It’s a race against the clock. On board there is enough oxygen for five people for 96 hours, according to an adviser to the company that arranges the tours.
The Titanic, which sank during its maiden voyage in 1912, lies at a depth of 3,800 meters off Newfoundland. The submarine is used so that tourists can see the wreck up close.
Billionaire on board
Billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding is one of the people on board the submarine, writes Sky News, which has had the information confirmed by Harding’s stepson.
The trips to the Titanic cost up to 150,000 dollars (roughly SEK 1.6 million), AP reports, and a submarine dive to the wreck, including both descent and ascent, is said to take around eight hours.
The passenger ship Titanic, which was the largest of its time, ran into an iceberg during the journey to New York. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew members on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives.