Inside the missing Titanic exploration sub

A father and his teenage son are reportedly among the people in the missing submersible called Titan that set off to explore the wreck of the Titanic, their family has revealed.

Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, are among the five people who joined a deep-sea journey to view the worldwide famous ship, which has been lying for decades 12,500ft beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

The family of the father and son said in a brief statement: “Our son Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, had embarked on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.

“As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available.

“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 while granting the family privacy at this time. The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.”

The Dawood family, among the richest in Pakistan, have strong links with the UK.

Mr Dawood reportedly lives in Surrey with his wife Christine, son Sulaiman and daughter Alina.

Born in Pakistan, he moved to the UK where he earned an LLB at the University of Buckingham.

Among the roles he covers, Mr Dawood is a trustee at the SETI Institute in California, whose mission is to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe.

He is also linked to King Charles’s Prince’s Trust, where he is a member of the global advisory board, and is a member of the Founders Circle at the British Asian Trust, the president of which is the English monarch.

The submersible’s deep-sea journey started in the early hours of Sunday with the aim to gain a unique view of the sunken Titanic, located some 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Its support vessel, the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, lost contact with the submersible craft about one hour and 45 minutes later.

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Another person confirmed to have joined the deep sea journey is Hamish Harding, a Dubai-based British businessman.

His stepson Brian Szasz said in a now-deleted post on Facebook: He “has gone missing on (the) submarine”.

French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet is also thought to be on board following a Facebook post he penned before the beginning of the dive expedition.

And Stockton Rush, chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions – the firm offering the trip – is also being widely reported to be on the vessel.

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OceanGate Expeditions is a private company charging £195,250 ($250,000) for a package to visit the Titanic.

Rescuers are facing a race against time, as there is a limited supply of oxygen on the vessel.

The US Coast Guard estimated the vessel had between 70 to 96 hours of emergency oxygen as of 10pm BST on Monday.

The Boston Coast Guard is currently leading the search operation, which focuses on both the ocean’s surface, in case the submersible managed to return above water but lost communications, and underwater through a sonar search.

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