“A small submarine with five people on board has disappeared in the vicinity of the Titanic wreck site,” a Boston Coast Guard slammed door told the British newspaper. Guardian.
“We are looking for him,” a member of the Boston Coastal Force Rescue Coordination Center told AFP, thus confirming information published by local media. Canada is also participating in the search for the ship with a boat and a plane, Canadian coast guard spokesmen told AFP.
The mobilized vessel “was off eastern Newfoundland and left for the search area,” they detailed.
“We are deeply grateful for the extensive assistance we have received from various government agencies and deepwater companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the submersible,” OceanGate said in a statement.
The family of British billionaire Hamish Harding said he was on board. His stepson wrote on Facebook that Harding had “disappeared on the submarine” and asked for prayers for him. The stepson later removed the post, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
Harding himself had written on Instagram a day earlier that he would be aboard the submarine. Since then he has not published again.
How much does it cost to travel to the wreck of the Titanic?
Several companies organize multi-day trips to see the remains of the Titanic, which is located at a depth of about 3,800 meters and at a distance of about 640 kilometers from the Canadian island of Newfoundland.
According to its website, the OceanGate company is carrying out its fifth Titanic “mission” of 2023, which was scheduled to begin last week and end on Thursday.
The expedition, which costs $250,000 per person, begins in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before heading some 400 miles into the Atlantic to the wreck site, according to the OceanGate website.
OceanGate Expeditions is the only company that has a submarine, called “Titan,” that is capable of reaching the bottom of the ocean to see the wreckage of the Titanic up close. It takes about two hours. The submarine used by that company usually has a crew of five people.