Last Updated: June 21, 2023, 10:51 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
A rescue operation was underway deep in the Atlantic Ocean in search of the technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic. (Image: AP Photo)
The US Coast Guard confirmed that the rescue teams detected ‘underwater noises’ in the search area where the craft went missing
The rescuers using sonar to search for the missing Titanic submersible with five people onboard detected underwater “banging” sounds in the North Atlantic where the craft vanished two days earlier.
The US Coast Guard confirmed on Wednesday that the rescue teams detected “underwater noises” in the search area where the craft went missing.
“Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area. As a result, ROV (remotely operated vehicle) operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises,” the US Coast Guard’s First District said on its official Twitter page.
A Canadian P-8 aircraft involved in the search had “heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard,” said an internal email sent to US Department of Homeland Security officials, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
However, it was not clear when the noises were heard Tuesday, for how long, or what might have caused them.
All communication was lost with the 21-foot craft during its descent Sunday to see the remains of the British passenger liner, which sits nearly four kilometers below the surface of the North Atlantic.
The submersible, named Titan, was carrying three fee-paying passengers, including a British billionaire and a Pakistani tycoon and his son. OceanGate Expeditions charges $250,000 for a seat on the sub, which is about the size of an average truck.
(With inputs from AFP)
