Less Than 20 Hours of Oxygen Left, Banging Noise Not from Titanic Submersible, Says Coast Guard

Disturbing reports have emerged regarding the missing submersible in the Atlantic Ocean, revealing that the passengers aboard OceanGate's Titan may have less than one day left until their oxygen supply is completely depleted.

According to the latest information from BBC News, the sub's breathing air is expected to run out on Thursday, June 22. Initial reports indicate that the vessel had an estimated 96 hours of oxygen on board when it began its dive on Sunday, as disclosed by United States Coast Guard officials to CBS.

The submersible, named Titan and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, disappeared while exploring the area near the wreckage of the Titanic in the vast North Atlantic, officials confirmed. The alarming situation has prompted an intense search and rescue operation, spearheaded by the United States Coast Guard.

Searches around site of banging sounds have not yielded any results so far

During a press conference held in Boston, Captain Jamie Frederick of the United States Coast Guard expressed deep concern, stating that the ongoing search efforts have not yielded any results so far.

Frederick said the noises were heard for a second day Wednesday, but "we don't know what they are, to be frank."

Retired Navy Capt. Carl Hartsfield, now the director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, told a news conference Wednesday that the sounds have been described as "banging noises," but warned that search crews "have to put the whole picture together in context and they have to eliminate potential manmade sources other than the Titan."

The limited time window remains a critical factor in the race against time to locate the submersible, assuming it is still intact.

The search for the Titan commenced immediately after all communication was lost with the Canadian expedition vessel Polar Prince, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive on Sunday, Captain Frederick said during Tuesday's press conference. The ill-fated mission aimed to reach the wreckage of the Titanic, but tragically, the submersible vanished without a trace.

As the clock ticks relentlessly, rescuers and authorities are intensifying their efforts to locate and rescue the passengers aboard the missing submersible. The situation remains extremely precarious, with hopes diminishing as the oxygen supply dwindles.

Coast Guard expands size of search area for missing submersible

A Canadian surveillance vessel has detected more underwater noises in the area where rescuers are searching for a submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic while bringing five people down to the wreck of the Titanic, authorities said Wednesday. Coast Guard officials were bringing in more ships and other vessels to search the more narrowly defined area, though the exact location and source of the sounds has not yet been determined.

The full scope of the search was twice the size of Connecticut in waters 2 1/2 miles deep, said Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District. "This is a search and rescue mission, 100 per cent," Frederick said. "We are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue and we'll continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members."

Three search vessels arrived on-scene on Wednesday morning, including one that has side-scanning sonar capabilities. Authorities pushed to get salvage equipment to the scene in case the submersible is found.

The Coast Guard statement about detecting sounds underwater came after Rolling Stone reported that search teams heard "banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, questions remain about how teams could reach the lost submersible, which could be as deep as about 12,500 feet (3,800 metres) below the surface near the watery tomb of the historic ocean liner.

Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during its development. Lost aboard the vessel are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers are a British adventurer, two members of a Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.

Authorities reported the 22-foot carbon-fibre vessel overdue Sunday night, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's. The submersible had a four-day oxygen supply when it put to sea around 6 a.m. Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission.