The search for the missing submersible that was exploring the wreckage of the Titanic is entering its critical final hours, with the breathable oxygen supply on the sub expected to run out at 12:08PM GMT (08:08PM ET).
The sub, known as Titan, went missing on Sunday (June 18) after it left its mothership, the Polar Prince with the intention of diving 12,500 feet to see the Titanic.
As reported by Reuters, the Titan left the mothership at around 12:00PM GMT, with the journey to the tactic due to take around two hours.
The sub relayed a ping to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes, but after an hour and 45 minutes into the journey, all communication with the vessel was lost.
The Titan was due to emerge from the Atlantic Ocean at 19:00PM GMT, and when it failed to do so is when the US Coast Guard was alerted to the potential issue.
Rescuers have calculated that the vessel had 96 hours of oxygen onboard when it descended on Sunday, meaning that it is due to run out at 12:08PM GMT today.
Despite round-the-clock rescue operations, the search has proved unfruitful as the missing sub is yet to be located - even with promising signs yesterday.
Rescuers reportedly heard "banging" sounds, which renewed hope that the crew onboard the Titan were still alive - though this posed further questions about how to rescue them if they were to be found.
Fotis Pagoulatos, a naval architect, has explained to the Wall Street Journal that rescuers will only have "one chance" to save the missing sub.
He said: "You need a ship that can lower a cable to pull the Titan up or have some kind of a claw. Even if they find it, there may not be enough time for the rescue because of the oxygen issue inside."
"Pulling up a vessel the size of a small bus is a complicated operation that takes time, and you only get one chance," Pagoulatos concluded.
Five people are confirmed to be on the Titan, and they have been named: British billionaire Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, alongside the two crew members Stockton Rush, founder and chief executive officer of OceanGate, and French pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
The Titanic sank in 1912, claiming the lives of over 1,500 people on board. This is largely due to the ship being dubbed "unsinkable" and therefore didn't have enough lifeboats on board.
Since then, the wreckage has gained great intrigue - though it still remains that more people have been into outer space than have dived to that depth of the ocean.
As the search for the missing five people approaches its final critical hour, we remain hopeful for positive news.
