The United States Coast Guard has confirmed this Wednesday that a Canadian search plane has detected “blows” at 30-minute intervals from the area where the submersible disappeared with five people on board that was going to visit the remains of the ‘Titanic’. It is not clear when and how long the blows lasted, collects the BBC.
“[Marine ship] P-3 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact at a position close to the emergency position. P-3 heard banging in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and these underwater sounds were still being heard in the search area,” the Coast Guard reported through internal emails, first published by outlets such as CNN and Rolling Stone.
The Boston Coast Guard, which leads search and rescue efforts, said the information will be used to organize future search plans, even though there are less than 30 hours of oxygen left in the submersible.
Richard Garriott de Cayeux, president of the Explorers Club, a reputable New York-based society that aims to promote scientific exploration, said on Twitter that “field data” had given them new hope. “We understand that probable signs of life have been detected at the site,” he said in a statement shared on social media. “We look forward to good news.”
The Explorers Club said it is still trying to obtain authorization for a specialized remotely operated underwater vehicle owned by deep-sea exploration company Magellan to join the search for Titan. Magellan equipment can reach depths of up to 6,000 meters
The Americans mobilized last Monday in an extensive rescue operation with Canadian help to locate the device. The company OceanGate Expeditions, which operates the submersible, reported to the authorities on Sunday the disappearance of the device with five people on board: the pilot and four passengers.
The five crew members are Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, her son Suleman, British explorer and businessman Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. On its website, the company offers trips of eight days and seven nights to visit the remains of the Titanic, with an approximate price of 250,000 dollars (about 229,000 euros).
