Titanic Tour Sub, With Billionaire Tourists On Board, Missing

A submersible vessel with billionaire tourists visiting the site of the wreckage of the Titanic in deep waters, off the coast of Canada, has been reported missing.

The sub, aptly named Titan, was reported on Tuesday to be missing since Sunday, with one pilot and four wealthy tourists on board.

The tourists include 77-year-old French explorer, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of the vessel's U.S.-based OceanGate.

Others are British billionaire, Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman, Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.

Report says each of the tourists paid a princely $250,000 for the expedition.

In a statement on Tuesday, the family of Dawood noted, with gratitude, the concern shown by friends and colleagues, urging for more prayers for the safety of those on board the missing vessel.

"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."

Reuters report has it that though it is not clear if the sub had resurfaced but unable to communicate, a number of ships and planes belonging to both the US and Canada, have however been deployed to sweep the vast areas in search of the missing ship, said to have the capacity to stay under water for up to 96 hours.

The report added that the search party began covering about 900 miles (1,450km) of the area, east of Cape Cod on Monday, with some dropping sonar buoys capable of monitoring up to a depth 13,000 feet (3,962 metres).

"We are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board," he said. "It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area," Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard explained on Tuesday, noting that officials have equally asked for help from commercial vessels.

Rear Admiral Mauger added that OceanGate Expeditions, operators of the vessel, is leading the search with Coast Guard assets deployed into the site as well.

"They know that site better than anybody else. 

"We're working very closely with them to prioritize our underwater search efforts and get equipment there," he told NBC. 

Mauger also confirmed on Tuesday that rescuers have not only continued with efforts to find the sub overnight, they are also expanding their search areas into the deeper waters.

According to him, the focus is on the area the vessel is known to be operating prior to its disappearance.

"As we continue on with this search ... we've been working through the night with a broad group of partners to bring all capabilities to bear looking on both the surface and now expanding to a subsurface in the area," he said.

Meanwhile, OceanGate Expeditions has confirmed that indeed,it is “mobilizing all options" as part of efforts to rescue those aboard the Titan.