Tourist submarine deployed for exploring Titanic wreckage went missing in Atlantic Ocean

A tourist submarine deployed by a private firm to explore the wreckage of Titanic in Atlantic Ocean has gone missing with reportedly five persons onboard. A search operation is underway to rescue the crew.

According to reports, the tour is operated by a private firm OceanGate Expeditions and said it was exploring options to bring the crew back safely. Reuters reported the US Coast Guard has also launched a search-and-rescue operation.

According to the company's website, a person is charged $2,50,000 and it starts at St. John's, Newfoundland, before heading out approximately 400 miles into the Atlantic to the wreckage site.

Sources reported that a full dive to the wreckage site, including the descent and ascent, reportedly takes around eight hours.

The vessel weighs 10,432 kg, can reach depths of up to 4,000m and has 96 hours of life support available for a crew of five, sources reported.

The Titanic, a British passenger liner sank on its maiden voyage from Britain to the US, in April 1912, after being holed by an iceberg, The Guardian reported. The disaster claimed the lives of 1,514 of the 2,224 passengers and crew, the publication reported.

The Titanic lies some 3,800m beneath the waves,as per sources reported.