Five people were aboard a missing small tourist submarine, which was scheduled to visit the wreckage of the Titanic in a remote region of the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards initiated search operations since Sunday afternoon when operator OceanGate Expeditions reported the disappearance of the vessel.

Rear Admiral John Mauger stated during a press conference that the search efforts were focused on an area approximately 1,450 kilometers east of Cape Cod, at a depth of around 4,000 meters. Although challenging due to its remote location, it is estimated that the submersible still has sufficient oxygen reserves for at least seventy hours.

Titanic: A tourist submarine which visited the wreck with five people on board missing

Aerial search operations have not yielded any results so far and were suspended overnight, as tweeted by the U.S. Coast Guard around 9:00 PM (local time). However, the vessel Polar Prince and a specialized unit are continuing their surface efforts during this nighttime period.

Among the passengers is fifty-eight-year-old Hamish Harding, CEO of UAE-based private jet sales company Action Aviation. Despite its high cost, the discovery of the Titanic wreckage in 1985 still attracts researchers and tourists alike. A tourist expedition, spanning up to eight days, can cost approximately €230,000 according to the BBC.