Rescue teams are in a race against time to find a submersible tourist vessel which went missing during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada, with a British billionaire among five people aboard.
Article continues below
There may be as little as 57 hours of emergency oxygen left aboard the submersible, which lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland.
Private plane firm Action Aviation said its British chairman Hamish Harding is one of the mission specialists on the five-person OceanGate Expeditions vessel, which is 6.7 metres long (22ft).
UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman Dawood have also been named in a family statement as two of the other people on board the “very tiny†craft.
French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush are also on the vessel, according to reports.
The US Coast Guard is leading search efforts and Rear Admiral John W Mauger estimated there was 70 to 96 hours left at a press conference held just before 5pm Boston time on Monday.
A statement from the Dawood Family, obtained by CNN, said: “As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available.
“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at this time. The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.â€
Mr Dawood is the vice chairman of Pakistani conglomerate Engro Corporation, which was founded as a fertiliser business, and, according to the company’s website, a board member of the King’s charity, Prince’s Trust International.
The search and rescue operation, involving military aircraft 900 miles east of Cape Cod, was continuing on Tuesday.
The US Coast Guard said the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince and 106 Rescue wing will continue to conduct surface searches alongside two US C-130 flights. ■