Lost Titanic submarine, carrying five, could stay underwater for upto 96 hours | Top points
The submersible, which went missing three days ago, was owned by the company OceanGate and is named the Titan.
Rescuers from United States and Canada have been working for three days in a massive search operation which was launched after a submersible, carrying five wealthy people to show them the site of the Titanic wreckage off Canada coast, went missing in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The submersible, which went missing three days ago, was owned by the company OceanGate and is named the Titan. It began its journey on Sunday morning, June 18. About one hour and 45 minutes into its descent, the vessel lost contact with the Polar Prince, the support ship that transported it to the site.
OceanGate says that the Titan is a 23,000-pound submersible made of carbon fibre and titanium. The vessel uses a “proprietary real-time hull health monitoring (RTM) system,” and any time an issue is detected, an “early warning” would be sent to the pilot, to leave “enough time to … safely return to the surface”.
Here are top updates about the missing submersible:
1) The missing submersible charged $250,000 per person (about ₹2,05,22,625). Tuesday marks the third day since the submersible – which belonged to a private firm OceanGate Expeditions – has gone missing.
2) The submersible was carrying five people. One pilot and four passengers were aboard. As a frantic search operation to relocate the submersible continues, the United States Coast Guard said currently it was unclear if it had resurfaced but was unable to communicate.
3) It has a life-support system and could stay underwater for up to 96 hours.
4) Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman and British billionaire Hamish Harding were among the five people that were onboard the submersible. Founder and CEO of operating company OceanGate Stockton Rush was also reportedly onboard. The fourth passenger is said to be 77-year-old French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
5) British businessman Hamish Harding is known for his exploratory expeditions across the globe and also has a unique India connection. According to a PTI report, he had collaborated with the Modi government to reintroduce eight wild cheetahs from Namibia to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released those eight cheetahs in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on his birthday last year.
6) Reuters reported that United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said in a television interview on Tuesday that the rescuers were searching overnight and had expanded their search into deeper waters. He told NBC News that authorities were focusing on the area where the vessel was operating. He told CNN, “As we continue on with this search ... we've been working through the night with a broad group of partners to bring all capabilities to bear looking on both the surface and now expanding to a subsurface in the area.”
7) OceanGate said in a media brief, “We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crewmembers 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 reestablish contact with the submersible. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
8) United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that his thoughts were with the families of those involved in the missing submarine. He said, “The families involved will be deeply concerned and his thoughts are with them and the Foreign Office is providing support.” He also thanked those who were responding to the situation.
