LONDON: A submarine on a tourism expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing off the coast of southeastern Canada, according to the private company that operates the vessel.

Dawn has learnt that two Pakistanis are on the missing submarine, and were part of the five-member expedition team. The Dawood family issued a statement confirming that two family members were on board the mission and that they have lost communication.

Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman had embarked on the journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.

“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 statement said.

Shahzada Dawood is based in the UK, and is a trustee at the SETI Insti­tute. He joined the Board of Engro Corporation in 2003 and currently serves as its vice chairman.

OceanGate Expeditions said in a brief statement on Monday that it was “mobilising all options” to rescue those on board the vessel.

The US Coast Guard did not immediately resp­ond to requests for comment. Media reports said the Coast Guard had launched search-and-rescue operations.

It was not immediately clear how many people were missing.

The family of British billionaire Hamish Hard­ing said he was onboard. His stepson wrote on Facebook that Harding had “gone missing on submarine” and asked for “thoughts and prayers”. The stepson subsequently removed the post, citing respect for the family’s privacy.

Harding himself had posted on Facebook a day earlier that he would be aboard the submarine. There have been no posts from him since.

In a statement, Ocean­Gate said: “We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have recei­v­­ed from several governm­ent agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible.”

The company is currently operating its fifth Titanic “mission” of 2023, according to its website, which had been scheduled to start last week and finish on Thursday.

The expedition, which costs $250,000 per person, starts in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before heading out approximately 400 miles (640km) into the Atlantic to the wreckage site, according to OceanGate’s website.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2023