THE EPOCH TIMES
The U.S. Coast Guard said that search and rescue crews found a debris field near the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, coming days after a rescue effort was launched to find a missing OceanGate submarine with five people on board.
In a post on Twitter Thursday, the Coast Guard said an underwater vessel found a debris field near the wreckage, although no details were provided. It’s not clear if officials believe the debris field is connected to the OceanGate Titan submersible vehicle or if they believe the crew and passengers are still alive.
“Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the U.S. Coast Guard wrote. The agency said it will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. ET to “discuss findings from the Horizon Arctic’s ROV on the sea floor near the Titanic.”
The ROV, or remotely operated vehicle, is now searching the sea floor, according to the Coast Guard. An ROV from a French vessel is also being used, officials said.
The search passed the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air could have run out, while the Titan was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic. Experts said that it was an approximation and that the oxygen supply could be extended if passengers took measures to conserve the air.
Authorities are hoping underwater sounds might help narrow their search, whose coverage area has been expanded to thousands of miles—twice the size of Connecticut and in waters more than 2 miles deep. Coast Guard officials said underwater noises were detected in the search area Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Titan was reported overdue Sunday afternoon about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, as it was on its way to where the iconic ocean liner sank more than a century ago. OceanGate Expeditions, which is leading the trip, has been chronicling the Titanic’s decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021.
