A massive search and rescue effort for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic is in a critical stage, with just hours before its oxygen supply for the five people aboard is expected to run out on Thursday, AFP reports on Thursday morning.
While coast guard officials insisted they remained “hopeful,” with a surge of assets and experts joining the operation and sonar picking up unidentified underwater noises, the challenge of locating and recovering the crew alive appeared increasingly formidable.
Based on the sub’s capacity to hold up to 96 hours of emergency air, rescuers estimate that the passengers may run out of oxygen in the early hours of Thursday.
Organisers of the multinational response – which includes US and Canadian military planes, coast guard ships and teleguided robots – are focusing their efforts in the North Atlantic close to the underwater noises detected by sonar.