A deep-sea robot found a ‘debris field’ while searching for one under which disappeared while wearing five people on the wreck of the Titanic, the US Coast Guard he said Thursday. Experts were evaluating the discovery of the ROV, or remotely operated vehicle.
“A debris field was discovered in the search area by an ROV near the Titanic,” officials said.
Coast Guard officials were expected to discuss the findings during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
In addition to underwater robots, search planes and vessels have been deployed to the North Atlantic Ocean in hopes of finding the missing 21-foot Titan sub.
The Coast Guard said Thursday morning that one of the robots began searching for a diver at the bottom of the sea. Another robot was also added to the search effort on Thursday.
The submarine was launched into the Atlantic from a Canadian research vessel on Sunday morning, and the vessel lost contact with Titan an hour and 45 minutes into the dive.
Officials previously said the submarine had a limited amount of oxygen on board that could have lasted 96 hours or until Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said the remaining oxygen was “an ongoing dialogue” but not the only detail being considered in continuing the search.
The co-founder of the company that owns the submarine, OceanGate, said Thursday was “a critical day” in the search. In a statement on FacebookGuillermo Sohnlein said the group could have stretched their life support supplies “by relaxing as much as possible.”
“I strongly believe that the window of time available for their rescue is longer than most people think,” Sohnlein said.
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Alex Sundby
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