Titanic Tourist Submersible Goes Missing

A search is underway for a missing submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic, according to media reports.

The U.S. Coast Guard told BBC News that a search was underway Monday off the coast of Newfoundland. OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it owned the missing vessel.

"We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely," the company said in a statement to BBC News. "Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families."

It is unclear how many people were on board when it went missing. The submersible can seat five people, the company says, which usually includes a pilot, three paying guests, and what it calls an "content expert."

The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston did not immediately return messages sent by The Associated Press.

In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of the iconic ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank in 1912.

The company said at the time that in addition to archaeologists and marine biologists, the expeditions also would include roughly 40 paid tourists who would take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submersible.

The initial group of tourists was funding the expedition by spending anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000 apiece.

According to the OceanGate Expeditions website, one expedition is ongoing and two more have been planned for June 2024.

The Titanic sits 12,500 feet beneath the surface at the bottom of the Atlantic. It is about 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The passenger liner, which was the largest ship of its time, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew onboard, more than 1,500 died.

The Titanic has been extensively explored since the wreck was discovered in 1985.

BBC News contributed to this story.