Breathless countdown for Titanic submersible with just few hours of oxygen remaining

The world is looking transfixed as rescue teams from all around the globe frantically search for a lost submersible, with five people on-board,near the site of the Titanic wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean.

The five individuals on board the vessel reportedly have just a few hours of oxygen remaining.

According to the US Coast Guard, the stranded crew members have less than 4 hours of oxygen left. The latest update on breathable air in the vessel hasprompted the rescue teams to work tirelessly around the clock.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Canadian aircraft equipped with SONAR capabilities had detected banging sounds in the vicinity, prompting the deployment of remotely operated vehicles to investigate the origin of the noise.

Also watch |Submersible touring the wreckage of the Titanic goes missing

While these sounds hadsparked hope that the passengers of the small tourist craft are still alive, its source remained inconclusive.

"In the midst of a search-and-rescue operation, hope always persists. However, regarding the specific nature of the sounds, we cannot definitively determine their origin," stated Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick in an official statement.

In emergency situations, the Titan was designed to carry up to oxygen supply enough to last 96 hours.

Missing Titanic submersible: Search and rescue teams

Multiple entities, including the US Coast Guard, Canadian military aircraft, French ships, and teleoperated robots, are collaborating in this multinational endeavor to locate the missing submersible. The incident occurred on Sunday, June 18,when the vessel was on the way to view the Titanic wreckage.

Missing submersible: Who all are inside vessel?

The individualsonboard the vessel include British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, with his 19-year-old son Suleman, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Stockton Rush, 61, founder and chief executive of OceanGate.

The unfolding events surrounding the missing submersible and the race against time to rescue its potential survivors have captivated people worldwide.

People have been transfixed by their television screens, with maritime experts describingthe challenges faced during rescue efforts in such an expansive oceanic environment.

In 2018, experts had expressed safety concerns regarding the submersible vessel, highlighting the decision by OceanGate to forgo third-party certification, such as the involvement of the American Bureau of Shipping, a leading authority in classifying submersibles.

The submersible saga resonates with high-stakes rescue operations of the recent past, such as the 2010 recovery of more than 30 miners trapped in Chile and the miraculous recovery of a Thai boys' football team from a flooded cave system in 2018.

This week, there have been more than 2 million searches on Google for "submarine missing", according to Reuters.

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