A rescue mission is being conducted after contact was lost with a submersible undertaking a deep sea dive to explore the wreck of the Titanic.
Contact was lost with the crew of the Titan tourist sub operated by US firm OceanGate Expeditions less than two hours into its Atlantic dive.
It was reportedly thought those on board the five person sub had roughly four days-worth of oxygen left as of Monday afternoon.
Titanic’s wreck lies some 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland and the rescue mission is being run from Boston.
OceanGate said it had “been unable to establish communications with one of our submersible exploration vehicles” but that its “entire focus [was] on the crew members in the submersible and their families”.
“We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the submersible,” it added.
The company promotes the eight-day trip on its carbon-fibre submersible as a “chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary”.
It sets sail from St John’s in Newfoundland, with each full dive to the wreck, including the descent and ascent, reportedly taking around eight hours.
According to the company’s website, one expedition is ongoing and two more have been planned for June 2024.