Titanic submersible missing off Newfoundland
The capsule is advertised to have 96 hours of oxygen for survival.
A submersible with five people on board went missing while visiting the wreck of the Titanic off Newfoundland, Canada, officials say.
The Coast Guard was notified Sunday afternoon that a vessel belonging to deep-sea exploration company OceanGate was overdue, and crews immediately launched search and rescue operations, Rear Admiral John said. Mauger, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 1st District, to Fox News.
The capsule is advertised to have 96 hours of oxygen for survival, which “gives us some time to continue searching and continue to use all our means to try to locate crew members,” Mauger said.
He noted that it was in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Titanic, seen 4,000 meters below the Atlantic Ocean north of Newfoundland in 1996, sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912. About 1,500 people died when the ship sank after hitting an iceberg.
Xavier Desmier/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images, FILE
“It’s at the site of a wreck, the wreck of the Titanic, and so there’s a lot of debris on the bottom, and locating an object on the bottom will be difficult,” Mauger said.
“We have lives that are potentially at risk,” he said.
OceanGate confirmed on Monday that it lost contact with a submersible.
“We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely. Our full focus is on the submersible’s crew members and their families,” OceanGate said in a statement. “We are working on the safe return of crew members.”
OceanGate’s website says it offers paying customers the chance to explore the wreck of the Titanic. The website says it has submersibles for five people.
On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage from England to New York. Over 2,200 passengers and crew were on board and over 1,500 people died when the ship sank.
The wreckage of the ship was found in 1985, nearly 12,500 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
ABC News’ Josh Hoyos, Alex Faul and Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
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