As the search for the tourist vessel Titan continues in the Atlantic Ocean, rescue teams are engaged in a race against time after losing contact with the submarine on Sunday.
OceanGate Expeditions, the operator of the vessel, has stated that there is a maximum supply of emergency oxygen lasting up to 96 hours.
Among the individuals on board is British billionaire Hamish Harding, who embarked on the voyage to visit the renowned shipwreck located approximately 435 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.
Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of the company, is also reported to be on board, along with French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeole.
The family of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Sulaiman, have confirmed their presence on the submarine during the expedition into the depths of the ocean.
A comprehensive search and rescue operation is presently underway, led by the US Coast Guard and involving military aircraft located 900 miles east of Cape Cod.
Here, find out about the crew members on board. What do we know about the five men so far?
Hamish Harding
Hamish Harding is the chairman of private plane firm Action Aviation, which said he is one of the mission specialists on the five-person OceanGate Expeditions vessel reported overdue on Sunday evening.
Mr Harding holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel when in March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
His cousin, Kathleen Cosnett, told The Daily Telegraph she saw Mr Harding as ‘daring’ and ‘inquisitive’, and that she was ‘devastated’ to learn he was missing.
On social media at the weekend, he said he was ‘proud to finally announce’ he would be aboard the mission to the wreck of the Titanic, the luxury ocean liner which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.
Stockton Rush
Stockton Rush is the CEO and founder of OceanGate Inc, which is a company that provides crewed submersible services to enable researchers and explorers to access the vast resources of the ocean.
According to OceanGate’s website, he became the youngest jet transport rated pilot in the world when he obtained his DC-8 Type/Captain’s rating at the United Airlines Jet Training Institute in 1981 at the age of 19.
Discussing the Titanic, he told Sky News earlier this year: ‘What really strikes you is how beautiful it is.
‘You don’t normally see that on a shipwreck. It is an amazingly beautiful wreck.’
Paul-Henri Nargeolet
French Mariner Paul-Henri Nargeolet is one of the leading experts on the Titanic wreckage and was confirmed to be on the submersible by Mr Harding in a social media post on Saturday.
He wrote: ‘The team on the sub has a couple of legendary explorers, some of which have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic since the 1980s including PH Nargeolet.’
Born in Chamonix, France, he is considered a ‘leading authority’ on the Titanic. He is listed as the Director of Underwater Research for E/M Group and RMS Titanic, Inc.
Shahzada Dawood and Sulaiman Dawood
Shahzada Dawood, 48, is a trustee of the SETI Institute in California, according to a biography published on its website. According to the biography, he is vice chairman of Dawood Hercules Corporation, part of the Dawood Group.
He is on the vessel with his 19-year-old son Sulaiman and their family said in a statement: ‘We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at this time.
‘As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available.
‘A rescue effort that is being jointly led by multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies is underway to reestablish contact with the submersible and bring them back safely.
‘The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.’
Latest Update
The victims of the Titanic submarine disaster are believed to be alive 3,800m under the Atlantic Ocean and desperately trying to raise help.
Regular SOS taps have been heard and two vehicles, which could only dive to 3000m, both imploded when they attempted to plunge lower.
Sources close to the rescue say two British deep water salvage companies – Ocean Infinity and Magellan – were three to four days away from sending equipment but it is believed the US coast guard decided not to fund the export.
It is thought that US President Joe Biden is now involved and the two British salvage companies have been told to stand down.
As part of rescue efforts, France have reportedly ignored US advice and sent a ship named the l’Atlante – a vessel featuring a robot – which can plunge to 20000ft.
The missing sub – named Titan – lost contact with its mothership, MV Polar Prince around one hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent.
The OceanGate sub’s air supply is due to run out around 10am on Thursday UK time (5am EST).