FLASH
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US and Canadian search teams have launched a search for a tourist submarine that went missing during a dive on the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday.
Five people were on board, reports "BBC" . Contact with the small submarine was lost about an hour and 45 minutes after the dive.
The rescue operation is continuing through the night in the mid-Atlantic, but so far there is no sign of the ship.
Government agencies, both countries' navies and deep-sea commercial firms are all assisting the rescue operation.
As of Monday afternoon, the crew members were thought to have approximately four days of oxygen left. Among them is British billionaire businessman and explorer Hamish Harding.
submarine
The submarine "Right now, our focus is to get as many capabilities in the area as we can," US Coast Guard Adm. John Mauger said at a news conference.
So far, military aircraft, a submarine and sonar have been used in the search for the ship.
The sinking of the Titanic occurred about 435 miles (700 km) south of St John's, Newfoundland, although the rescue mission is being led from Boston, Massachusetts.
The US Coast Guard said a research vessel called the Polar Prince had conducted a surface search for the submarine on Monday evening. It is used to transport divers to the wreck site and was the support vessel on Sunday's tourist expedition.
The missing vessel is believed to be the OceanGate tour firm's Titan submersible, on which CBS reporter David Pogue traveled last year to reach the Titanic wreck.
Communication via GPS or radio systems is not available as neither works underwater.
Pogue says it is also not possible for those aboard the submarine to escape on their own because they are locked inside by bolts placed on the outside.
Rear Adm. Mauger noted that the area being searched was "remote," making the operation difficult.
Added to this is the fact that visibility is quickly lost below the surface of the water as light cannot penetrate deeply.
Submarine 1
The OceanGate website lists three submersibles it owns, and only the Titan is capable of diving deep enough to reach the wreck of the Titanic.
The vessel weighs 23,000 lbs (10,432 kg) and, according to the website, can reach depths of up to 13,100 ft.
Tickets cost $250,000 (£195,000) for an eight-day trip including wreck dives to a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft).
On social media over the weekend, Harding said he was "proud to finally announce" that he would be aboard the mission to the Titanic wreck, but added that due to "the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission will likely be the first and only manned mission to Titanic in 2023."
He later wrote: "A weather window has just opened and we are going to do a dive tomorrow."
OceanGate said it had "been able to establish communications with one of the underwater search vehicles" but that its "entire focus [was] on the crew members and their families".
"We are deeply grateful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep-sea companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the diver," he added.
The company bills the eight-day voyage in its carbon fiber submersible as a "chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary."
It departs from St John's in Newfoundland, with each full dive, including descent and ascent, said to take around eight hours.
According to its website, one expedition is ongoing and two more are planned for June 2024.
The Titanic, which was the largest ship of its time, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died.
Its remains have been extensively explored since they were discovered in 1985. A large debris field surrounds the wreck.
Last month, the first full-size digital scan of the wreck was created using deep-sea mapping. The scan shows the scale of the ship, as well as some small details, such as the serial number on one of the propellers.
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