PARIS — France is deploying a rescue team to help find the Titanic tourist submarine reported missing in the Atlantic Ocean off North America, according to local media reports.
The French Research Institute for Sea Exploitation (Ifremer in French) — which is under the authority of the Sea and Research ministries — has diverted its vessel Atalante equipped with a deep-sea robot to the area where the submarine disappeared, Junior Minister for the Sea Hervé Berville said.
Paris will communicate with the NATO coordination center and is already in contact with American authorities, Berville added.
The American exploration submarine — dubbed Titan — was on an expedition to see the Titanic’s shipwreck when it went missing Sunday with five people on board. The submarine’s operator OceanGate Expeditions and the authorities refused to identify the passengers but French media reported that French oceanographer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet is among them. Other passengers reportedly include wealthy businessmen: British space tourist and Action Aviation chairman Hamish Harding is said to be on board, as well as the vice president of Pakistani conglomerate Engro, Shahzada Dawood, and his son.
The French vessel Atalante should arrive to the rescue area Wednesday at 8 p.m. Five planes, including three from the U.S. and two from Canada, are also already deployed in the mission.
