A deep-sea diving expert has revealed how he was supposed to join the missing Titanic exploration sub but cancelled at the eleventh hour.

David Concannon, from Idaho in the US, works as an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions and is thought to have in-depth knowledge of the mission.

In a statement posed on social media, he said he ‘had to cancel to attend to another urgent client matter’.

Shortly after the vessel was confirmed missing, Mr Concannon added, he was ‘asked to provide assistance’ and ‘immediately agreed’.

The diver pleaded with people concerned for the safety of the crew to ‘PLEASE STOP calling, texting, messaging, and sending all other forms of communication during this critical time’.

‘You are interfering with more important communications that need to be made to resolve this situation as quickly and as safely as possible.’

Five people are believed to be onboard the vessel, which is feared to have between 50 and 70 hours worth of breathable oxygen left.

They include Shahzada Dawood, a 48-year-old British businessman who was born in Pakistan, and his son Suleman.

Hamish Harding, 58, a billionaire British explorer and businessman, is also known to be trapped in the vessel.

The other two passengers have been named as OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and French submersible pilot, Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Mr Nargeolet is one of the leading experts on the wreckage and is believed to have made 35 trips to the site.

The Titanic lies at the bottom of the North Atlantic, about 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard, which is leading the rescue operation, has described the search area as ‘remote’.

The sub, named Titan, may have become stuck in the wreckage, he added, in which case the Coast Guard does not have the capabilities to reach it.

Tim Matlin, who has authored several books and a documentary about the Titanic, fears the missing explorers face extremely slim odds of survival if they reached their destination.

The ill-fated liner lies 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater, a depth which can only be reached by highly specialised vessels due to the massive water pressure.

Mr Matlin said: ‘It’s really a bit like being an astronaut going into space. I think if it’s on the seabed, there are so few submarines that are capable of going that deep.

‘And so, therefore, I think it was going to be almost impossible to effect a sub-to-sub rescue.’

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