US and Canadian ships and planes have been on a desperate hunt for submarine 'Titan' that went missing over 24 hours ago off the coast of southeastern Canada in an exploration visit of the Titanic, officials said.
According to the US Coast Guard, there are a total of one pilot and four passengers on board, adding the sub has the capability of remaining submerged for 96 hours.
It is unclear at the moment if it is underwater or has made it to the surface and is unable to establish any contact.
Those onboard the vessel are all tourists with Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son, Suleman, and British billionaire Hamish Harding among them.
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A US Coast Guard official told media persons that the search is underway at about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod. Sonar buoys, that monitor 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) deep, are a part of the search.
"It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area," the official added.
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The Coast Guard had earlier said that a boat – known as the Polar Prince – lost contact with the Titan, as about an hour and 45 minutes after the latter begun to dive towards the site of the wreckage.
Meanwhile, the company that operates the submarine, OceanGate Expeditions, has said it is "mobilising all options" to rescue those at the vessel, in hopes that those missing can be found soon.
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The expeditions, that cost $250,000 per person, begin in St. John's, Newfoundland, before heading some 400 miles (640 km) into the Atlantic to the site where the wreckage is located, a tourist attraction.
In order to make the visit, passengers climb aboard the sub with a capacity of five persons, before it goes on for a little over two hours to make an approx. 12,500 feet (3,800m) descent to the sunken Titanic.