Missing Titan Submersible: Debris Field Found Near The Titanic, Says US Coast Guard

Titanic Tourist Submarine: The search passed the critical 96-hour mark on Thursday when breathable air is likely to have run out.

Rescue teams try trace the origin of sounds heard from the depths of the North Atlantic in a search for a tourist submersible

Source : Getty

The US Coast Guard said on Thursday that an underwater vessel located a debris field near the Titanic wreckage during the search for the missing submersible Titan. However, it is not clear if this debris field is connected to the missing submersible.

The wreck of the Titanic, the infamous ship that sank in April 1912, lies around 700 km south of St John's, Newfoundland, in Canada.

The search for the submersible is now in a critical stage as it passed the critical 96-hour mark when breathable air is likely to have run out.

The Titan was estimated to have oxygen supply of four days when it started its voyage on Sunday morning in the North Atlantic.

Throughout the day authorities rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance and where "banging sounds" were picked up by a Canadian aircraft.

In the morning, a remote operated vehicle reached the sea floor and began searching for the missing Titanic submersible, according to the US Coast Guard. A French research institute said a deep-diving robot with cameras, lights and arms also joined the operation, AP reported.

"The Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic has deployed an ROV that has reached the sea floor and began its search for the missing sub," the US Coast Guard tweeted.

READ | Missing Titan Submersible: Wife Of Pilot Is Descendant Of Couple Who Died On The Titanic

However, several obstacles still remain for the authorities, including pinpointing the vessel's location, reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface.

On Wednesday, the US Navy said in a statement that it had sent a specialised salvage system capable of hoisting "large, bulky and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels".

The Titan weighs 9,000 kilograms. The US Navy's Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System is designed to lift up to 27,200 kilograms, the Navy said on its website.

British billionaire Hamish Harding, who collaborated with the Indian government to reintroduce cheetahs from Namibia, a Pakistani businessmen (Shahzada Dawood) and his son are among the five people on board the submersible.