Missing Titanic submarine: Hope fades as oxygen supply runs low

Kathmandu: Hope is fading for five people on board a submersible that vanished on Sunday, as oxygen supplies are predicted to have run out.

Ships from around Europe have joined efforts to find the Titan, which disappeared near the Titanic’s wreck in the Atlantic Ocean, with rescuers desperately searching for the vessel.

Aircraft, boats and remotely operated vehicles expanded their search for the five crew members on board, after ‘banging’ noises were heard underwater.

The vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, began its two-hour descent to the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday morning. It lost contact with the Polar Prince, the support ship that transported the craft to the location in the North Atlantic, 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent, officials said.

Search operations began later that day. It’s still not clear what happened to the submersible, why it lost contact, and how close it was to the Titanic when it went missing.

The submaring is carrying five people — a British adventurer, a French diver, a pakistani father and son and the founder of OceanGate Expeditions.

Earlier on Tuesday and Wednesday, banging noises were picked up by sonar but the US Coast Guard said it has not identified the source of noises.