LIVE | Last minute of the search for Titan, the submarine that disappeared when traveling to the Titanic

Expedition and rescue groups travel the North Atlantic in search of a missing small submarine that was intended to explore the area where the remains of the British liner lie titanic. Fears are growing for the five people on board, since the Titan ship has oxygen autonomy for up to 96 hours.

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This is what we know so far:

What happened?

The ship 6.5 meters long started his dive on sunday but lost contact with the surface less than two hours later, according to authorities.

LOOK: A submersible that takes tourists and experts to visit the remains of the Titanic disappears with 5 people on board

“Since some time we have not been able to establish communication with one of our exploration vehicles submersible who is currently visiting the site of the shipwreck of the titanic”, The company that operates the ship told AFP on Monday night, Ocean Gate ExpeditionYes, in a statement.

The company uses a submersible called “Titan” for your dives to the area of ​​the historic shipwreckwith seats priced at $250,000 each, according to its website.

Who’s on board?

One of the passengers was identified as the British businessman Hamish Hardingwhose aviation company had posted on social media about their expedition to the area.

Harding58-year-old aviator, space tourist and president of the association Action Aviationposted on his Instagram Sunday that he was proud to join OceanGate’s Titanic mission.

The Pakistani Entrepreneur Shahzada Dawood and her son Suleman Dawood They are also on the boat.

“For now, contact with the submersible has been lost and the information available is limited,” His family said in a statement.

Shahzada Dawood andHe is vice chairman of Karachi-based conglomerate Engro, which has investments in energy, agriculture, petrochemicals and telecommunications.

The search for the Titan. (AFP).

Where did the ship disappear?

The rescuers have been searching in a remote area of ​​the North Atlantic where the remains of the titanic -sunk in 1912- 650 kilometers from the coast of Newfoundland, Canadaand about 4,000 meters deep in the ocean.

What is the latest information on the rescue?

The United States Coast Guard reported that it assigned two planes to the tasks and the Canadian authorities sent a plane and a ship for exploration.

Time is a critical factor, as the boat has a maximum of 96 hours of oxygen autonomy for the breathing of five people.

US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters in Boston on Monday that he believed there were still 70 hours or more available.

But, without collecting reports of sightings of the submersible or communication signals from the scouts, his rescue team called off search flights for the night.

Why visit the Titanic?

He transatlantic of 46,000 tons -considered then the largest passenger ship in the world- struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage from England to New York in April 1912 with 2,224 passengers and crew on board.

More than 1,500 people diedsome of whom were magnates and aristocrats.

He disaster it was popularized as an example of hubris, as the ship had been touted as an industrial age miracle and unsinkable.

Some also saw an episode of discrimination in the accident, since the vast majority of the passengers who died were in second or third class.

He shipwreck It was located in 1985 by a joint expedition of the United States and France, which deepened the fascination for this catastrophe, fueled several films -the last great success is 1997 with the stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio- and also generated lucrative underwater tourism , but at the same time high risk.

Source: Elcomercio