‘Signs of life’ likely detected on missing tourist submarine Titanic as search teams race against time

The plane searching for the missing sub had been detecting “thumping” noises every 30 minutes near the divers’ last known location.

The passengers were in the miniature submarine traveling to the wreck of the Titanic in deep waters off the Canadian coast when it lost communication with a surface mothership. (Photo: Reuters)

New Delhi: A Canadian airliner has reportedly detected a “thumping sound” while searching for the missing tourist submarine that disappeared while taking wealthy passengers on a journey to the Titanic wreckage in deep waters off the Canadian coast.

The aircraft searching for the sub had been detecting “thumping” sounds or underwater noises near the divers’ last known location every 30 minutes, according to a report by The Independent.

Rescue workers race against time for missing Titanic submarine | Top marks

The 6.5-metre-long Titan is built to last 96 hours underwater, according to the specifications – allowing the five people to stay on board until Thursday morning before the skies run out. A pilot and four passengers were inside the miniature submarine early Sunday when it lost communication with a surface mothership about an hour and 45 minutes into its two-hour dive.
As Canadian and US authorities stepped up the search, previous questions about the submarine’s safety design and development by its owner, US-based OceanGate Expeditions, came to light.
The wreck of the Titanic, a British ocean liner that hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912, is located about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 400 miles (644 km) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
U.S. and Canadian aircraft have searched more than 7,600 square miles of open sea, an area larger than the state of Connecticut, U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.
The Canadian military has been dropping sonar buoys to listen for sounds that may be coming from the Titan, and a commercial ship with a remote-controlled deep-sea submarine was also searching near the site, Frederick said.
Those aboard Titan for a tourist expedition costing $250,000 per person included British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, and Pakistan-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, with his 19-year-old son Suleman, both British citizens are.
French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, are also said to be on board. Authorities have not confirmed the identity of any passengers, according to a report by Reuters news agency.
Experts say rescuers face significant obstacles both in finding the Titan and rescuing the people on board. In the event of a mid-dive emergency, the pilot would likely have released weights to float back to the surface, according to Alistair Greig, a marine engineering professor at University College London. But without communications, locating a van-sized submarine in the vast Atlantic Ocean could be a challenge, he said.
The submarine is bolted from the outside, preventing its occupants from escaping unaided, even if it surfaces. If the Titan is on the ocean floor, a rescue would be even more challenging due to the extreme conditions more than 3 kilometers below the surface. The Titanic lies 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater, where no sunlight penetrates. Only specialized equipment can reach such depths without being crushed by the enormous water pressure.