The US Coast Guard is searching for five people aboard a missing submersible near the Titanic wreckage, a spokesperson told CNN on Monday.
The Coast Guard received the first phone call about the missing submersible on Sunday, US Coast Guard Boston Public Affairs Officer Lieutenant Samantha Corcoran told CNN.
“There are five people we are searching for,” Corcoran said, adding that she does not know the specifics of all five people.
According to an archived version of the website run by the tour operator, OceanGate Expeditions – accessible via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine – the submersible holds up to five people: a pilot, a “content expert” and three paying passengers.
There are two aircraft and a ship on the scene searching, Corcoran said.
One aircraft is a Coast Guard C-130, and the second is a P-8 Poseidon aircraft from RCC Halifax, which is able to search and detect submarines underwater.
A Canadian Coast Guard ship is en route to the area as well, according to Corcoran.
Some background: The eight-day expedition is based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, with a maximum of six people. The trip begins with a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site.
There, up to five people, board the submersible named “Titan” and descend to the bottom of the ocean.
