On Sunday (18), a tourist submarine called Titan, which was taking tourists to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, lost contact with a surface boat, the Polar Prince, about an hour and 45 minutes after starting the dive towards the wreck site. Five people were inside the ship.

Now the United States and Canadian Coast Guards are searching and requesting assistance in an attempt to locate the Titan.

The ship disappeared in the area of ​​the sinking of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, about 600 kilometers off the coast of Canada.

The US Coast Guard said there was a pilot and four passengers aboard the submarine. Although the Titan may have been submerged for 96 hours, it was unclear if it was still submerged or if it had surfaced and was unable to communicate.

After the submarine disappeared, US and Canadian authorities mobilized ships and planes to search the area, located about 1,500 kilometers off the US coast.

Admiral John Mauger, Commander of the US Coast Guard, said additional resources (i.e. more boats, more planes, etc.) will be arriving in the coming days.

“It is a remote area, and it is difficult to conduct a search in this remote area, but we are mobilizing all available resources to ensure that we can locate the vessel and rescue those on board,” he said.

Several private vessels launched an underwater sonar capable of monitoring down to a depth of 3,962 meters to locate the submarine.

Billionaire and shipwreck expert

The private company OceanGate Expeditions, responsible for operating the submarine, said it was “mobilizing all options” to rescue those on board.

Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French navy man, is also on board, according to The Guardian newspaper.

In OceanGate’s statement, they expressed their deep appreciation for the assistance received from various government agencies and offshore exploration companies in their efforts to restore contact with the submarine.

Authorities also requested assistance from private vessels in the area (mainly commercial vessels such as fishing boats) and continued search and rescue operations throughout the night. More ships have been mobilized in the search, and aircraft are also being used.

The Titanic was an ocean liner that was considered the largest and most luxurious passenger ship of its time. Built at the beginning of the 20th century by the British company White Star Line, the ship became famous for its wreckage.

On April 10, 1912, the ship left the city of Southampton, England, bound for New York, United States.

Four days later, on April 14, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. There were not enough lifeboats and more than 1,500 people died.

After this disaster, maritime safety laws and regulations were changed (they required enough lifeboats for all passengers on board, for example).