A search is under way for a missing submersible which carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic, according to reports. The US Coast Guard told BBC News that a search was under way off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it owned the missing vessel. "We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely," the company said in a statement to BBC News. "Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families."
In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of the ocean liner which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912. The company said at the time that in addition to archaeologists and marine biologists, the expeditions also would include roughly 40 paying tourists who would take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submersible.
The initial group of tourists was funding the expedition by spending anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 US dollars (£78,000 to £117,000) each.
