LONDON: The operator of the submersible missing near the wreck of the Titanic has said that it believed that the tourists aboard the vessel “have sadly been lost”, western media reported on Thursday. In a statement, OceanGate said that their hearts are with these five passengers and every member of their families during this sad time. “We mourn the loss of life”, the statement maintained.
Earlier, the U.S. Coast Guard said a deep-sea robot discovered a “debris field” during the search for a submarine that disappeared while transporting five individuals to the wreckage of the Titanic,
Experts are currently assessing the findings made by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
Officials stated, “A debris field was found within the search area near the Titanic by an ROV.”
During a news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Coast Guard officials are expected to discuss these discoveries. Alongside underwater robots, search aircraft and ships have been deployed to the North Atlantic Ocean in hopes of locating the missing 21-foot sub, named Titan.
On Thursday morning, the Coast Guard reported that one of the robots had commenced searching the seabed for the sub. Additionally, another robot was introduced to bolster the search efforts on Thursday.
The Titan submarine had embarked on its Atlantic journey from a Canadian research vessel on Sunday morning. However, contact with the vessel was lost one hour and forty-five minutes into the dive.
Officials previously disclosed that the sub carried a limited supply of oxygen, estimated to last for 96 hours until Thursday morning.
Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick stated on Wednesday that the remaining oxygen was only “part of the conversation” and not the sole consideration in deciding whether to continue the search.
Guillermo Sohnlein, co-founder of OceanGate, the company owning the sub, described Thursday as “a critical day” in the search. Sohnlein remarked in a Facebook statement that the group may have prolonged their life support resources by “conserving as much as possible.”
“I strongly believe that the available window of time for their rescue is longer than what most people assume,” added Sohnlein.
