The five people who were on board a submersible that is now missing have been identified.
On Sunday, it was reported that the underwater vessel - referred to as 'Titan' - went missing after submerging into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean during a tour of the Titanic wreckage.
The expedition, operated by OceanGate, set off in the early hours of Sunday morning, with the intention of diving to 12,500 feet to where the wreckage lays. However, after failing to provide a signal to confirm operation just 45 minutes into the journey, operators became concerned.
Two days later and there has been no sign of the submersible and a major search operation has been launched headed by the US Coast Guard as well as OceanGate Expeditions.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard stressed that the Titan only had 96 hours' worth of oxygen, meaning that rescuers are facing a race against time to find the vessel, and the crew and tourists onboard.
On Tuesday morning, Mauger also appeared on NBC's Today show where he emphasized that the expedition company "know[s] that site better than anybody else," prioritizing the areas in which the tour typically operates.
It has also now been confirmed that the five people aboard the missing submersible include "a space-traveling British billionaire, one of Pakistan’s wealthiest men and a retired commander in the French navy" who led the first expedition to the site of the ship.
Hamish Harding, a world explorer and British businessman known for his adventurous pursuits, is among the missing. His family confirmed his presence on the submersible in a Facebook post. Harding had previously embarked on a space ride aboard the Blue Origin rocket last year.
The New York Post has also revealed that father Shanzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman, 19, are also onboard the vessel, according to comments made by their family members. Dawood is vice chairman of the Pakistani energy manufacturing and tech conglomerate Engro Corporation
Another name placed aboard the submersible is 77-year-old deep diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who previously led the first expedition to the Titanic wreckage back in 1987 after retiring from the French navy. Nargeolet has appeared in several films and documentaries about the Titanic, as he currently serves as the director of underwater research company RMS Titanic Inc.
Finally, another missing person to be named is 61-year-old Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate.
Prior to the expedition, Harding took to Instagram to announce that he would be taking part in the journey to see the Titanic.
"Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023," he added. "A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow. We started steaming from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada yesterday and are planning to start dive operations around 4am tomorrow morning. Until then we have a lot of preparations and briefings to do."
He also told his followers to keep an eye out for further updates, though unfortunately, the Titan was declared missing before Harding could do so.
There is widespread speculation as to the fate of the Titan and those on board, but nothing has yet been confirmed.
Robert Blasiak, ocean researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, however has encouraged people not to give up hope.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: "The dream scenario right now is that the submersible has managed to reach the surface and it's just drifting at sea level and will be found by one of the passing aircraft in the coming hours."
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