A submarine used to take tourists to view the sunken remains of the Titanic has disappeared in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean with five passengers on board, prompting a search and rescue mission to be launched. The Boston Coast Guard has confirmed to The Guardian the disappearance of the submersible with five people inside.
Small submersibles occasionally carry paying tourists to see the wreckage of the Titanic. The famous shipwreck lies 3,800 meters deep at the bottom of the Atlantic.
The ship, the largest of its time, is located about 400 miles from the Canadian island of Newfoundland. OceanGate Expeditions, a company that organizes this type of expedition, recently announced on its website and social networks that an expedition to see the remains of the Titanic "was underway".
On June 14, the company said on Twitter that it was using the communications company Starlink to keep the line of communication open with the expedition heading to the Titanic. On the company's website, seven-day trips to see the remains of the Titanic are announced and its price is specified to be about 250,000 dollars (about 228,772 euros).
The Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died. The liner has been extensively explored since the wreck was discovered in 1985.
