The search for the missing Titanic sub took a critical turn Thursday as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found debris deep in the Atlantic where rescuers have been trying to locate the Titan submersible with five passengers onboard.
The news came after a French vessel joined the search and deployed its ROV to the ocean floor.
“A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic,” the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Twitter. “Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information.”
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The submersible’s 96-hour breathable air supply was feared to have run out Thursday morning. Although authorities were still holding out hope of saving the passengers on the sub.
The Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, vanished off the coast of Canada on Sunday (June 18).
The people on the sub have been identified as Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions; British billionaire Hamish Harding; French dive expert Paul Henry Nargeolet; and prominent Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.
The vessel was equipped with an estimated four-day supply when it left to view the wreckage from the Titanic, 13,000 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic, for a price of $250,000.
According to the Associated Press, authorities are relying on underwater sounds in their search, hoping to narrow down the location of the missing submersible.
Efforts to pinpoint the sub have been focused on an area where Canadian aircraft detected “banging noises.”
Submarine crews often rely on banging on the hull as a means of communication when unable to establish contact with the surface.
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Titanic Sub Search Takes Turn as Rescuers Find ‘Debris Field’