Local authorities are now searching for the missing passengers, which includes a famed explorer.

The US Coast Guard said the small submarine began its journey underwater with five passengers Sunday morning, and the Canadian research vessel that it was working with lost contact with the crew about an hour and 45 minutes into the dive.

It was also reported that the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax, operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Coast Guard, is presently assisting in the search with a P8 Poseidon aircraft boasting “underwater detection capabilities.”

The submersible belongs to OceanGate Expeditions, which, according to its official website, rents submersibles for deep-sea exploration and recently announced that its Titanic expedition would launch in June.

“The wreck of the Titanic lies about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. With no cell phone towers in the middle of the ocean, we rely on Starlink to provide communications we need during this year’s Titanic Expedition 2023,” the company tweeted on June 14.

The submersible is capable of carrying five passengers and has “life support” for 96 hours for a crew of five.

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