A search is underway for a missing submersible carrying people to view the wreckage of the Titanic, according to media reports.
The US Coast Guard told BBC News a search was underway off the coast of Newfoundland on Monday. OceanGate Expeditions has confirmed ownership of the missing vessel.
“We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely,” the company said in a statement to BBC News. “We are fully focused on the crew members of the submersible and their families.”
The US Coast Guard in Boston did not immediately return the messages sent by The Associated Press. However, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said a Canadian military aircraft and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel were assisting in the search efforts, which are being led by the US Coast Guard.
In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual trip to chronicle the deterioration of the iconic ocean liner that hit an iceberg and sank in 1912.
The company said at the time that in addition to archaeologists and marine biologists, the expeditions would also include around 40 paid tourists who would take turns using sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submersible. .
The first group of tourists financed the expedition by spending between $100,000 and $150,000 each.