The race against time to locate the missing submersible is growing more critical, as it is speculated that those onboard only have around 20 hours of oxygen left.
The OceanGate submersible went missing on Sunday morning after it descended from the research vessel Polar Prince, with the intention of exploring the wreckage of the Titanic.
The Titanic famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean during a crossing from the UK to New York.
There has been much interest in the wreckage in the century that has followed, including movie director James Cameron spending so much time exploring it, that he's spent more time around the ship than the passengers spent onboard, per CBC.
The missing submersible is operated by OceanGate, which has since posted a statement on its social media channels expressing its concern about the recent events.
"We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely," the statement read. "Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families.
"We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers."
The race against time to locate the sub is entering its final hours, as Reuters has reported that the expected deadline for the oxygen onboard is 10:00AM GMT tomorrow (Thursday).
This would mean that the sub currently has around 20 hours of oxygen left, which will give time for a French research ship equipped with deep-sea diving equipment to arrive at the scene later today.
This is based on initial estimations that the vessel had 96 hours of oxygen from the moment it was sealed, which occurred on Sunday morning.
Hopes of a safe return for those onboard have been boosted following the US Coast Guard's revelation that banging sounds have been heard during the search.
The discovery was made public by Department of Homeland Security leadership via an Internet email, which has since been cited by Rolling Stone.
The email stated that banging was heard in 30-minute intervals, while also revealing: "RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air.
"The P8 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position. The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed, and banging was still heard."
This is the first lead that rescuers have had since their operation began on Sunday, and it has instilled a new level of confidence that those onboard the sub are still alive.
Despite this promising development, the US Coast Guard stated in a press conference last night that despite extensive searches, they had not yet yielded any results.
Our thoughts are with everybody involved in and impacted by this rescue mission.
