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The head of the operation that is trying to find the missing Titan submersible has said that it is still an active search and rescue mission.

That is despite US Coast Guard estimates that the air supply in the vessel would run out at 12.08pm UK time on Thursday.

The vessel – operated by the US-based firm OceanGate – had five men on board when it went missing: British billionaire Hamish Harding, British businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, OceanGate’s US-based chief executive and founder Stockton Rush and French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Rear Admiral John Mauger, from the US Coast Guard, told Sky News rescuers “remain hopeful” the submersible can be found, but revealed the “banging noises” detected by the sonar buoys dropped into the sea were possibly “ocean background noise”.

Titanic sub search – live: Rescue robot reaches sea floor – as oxygen forecast to have run out

He said: “We continue to keep the crew members and families in our thoughts.

“While we are cognisant of the time and we’ve factored in a lot of data and information into this search, this is still an active search and rescue at this point.

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“We are using the equipment that we have on the bottom right now, remote-operated vehicles to expand our search capability, and also to provide rescue capability.”

He said conditions for the operation were “favourable” – and crews were making the most of the “weather window and the good conditions”.

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Missing sub: Timelapse shows vessels arriving

Aircraft continue to fly over the area looking for the submersible on the surface, he said, but the “focus right now is on that sub-sea search”, with the remotely-operated vehicles scouring the pathline where the planned dive had taken place.

The vessel disappeared on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean, some 435 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, during an expedition dive to see the wreck of the Titanic.

It lost communication with tour operators about an hour and 45 minutes after the vessel submerged.

Ships, planes and underwater craft from multiple countries have since been deployed to the area with rescuers advised by world-leading experts searching a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean more than twice the size of the US state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 4,020m (13,200ft).

Two ROVs searching for sub on sea floor

One of the vessels sent to help search efforts is French research vessel L’Atalante which has deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Victor 6000.

The unmanned French robot, which can dive to a depth of 6,000 metres (19,600ft), reached the search site a few hours before the critical 96-hour mark when oxygen was due to run out.

The wreck of the Titanic, which the Titan was heading towards, lies at a depth of about 3,810 metres (12,500ft).

While the vehicle cannot lift Titan to the surface on its own, it could help to hook it to a ship on the surface.

A second ROV – deployed by Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic – has also reached the sea floor and is looking for the missing submersible.

Both ROVs have cameras and sonar.

Mr Mauger said it was an “incredibly complex effort to get this equipment on site”, adding: “They have articulated arms that are capable of attaching equipment and attaching a rescue line.”

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Sub search reaches critical point

When will the rescue effort end?

Reports of underwater sounds in the area are still being investigated but it is believed much of it may be ocean background noise.

Asked about the sounds, Mr Mauger said that analysis of these by experts is ongoing.

“The initial report is that there’s a lot of the sounds that were generated were from background ocean noise, but they continue to… look for all available information there,” he said.

“What’s important to me… is that we’ve continued to search in the areas where noise was detected with the ROVs that we had from the time of that detection, so we’re not waiting for this analysis to take action.”

He said any decision to stop the rescue effort would be taken after a “thorough consultation” with the families of the passengers on the submersible.

“There’s a time and place for that discussion. Right now… we will remain focused on the search and rescue but continue to take in all available information as we plan out our future operation.”

He said there would in due course be an investigation into what has led to the submersible going missing.

“There’s going to be a time and place for a thorough investigation,” he added.

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Missing sub: ‘It takes a lot of courage’

‘Sub’s life support supplies are starting to run low’

In a statement published online Guillermo Sohnlein, co-founder of OceanGate, thanked the people involved in the search and rescue – and claimed the time window the people on board have is larger than the estimated 96 hours.

“Today will be a critical day in this search and rescue mission, as the sub’s life support supplies are starting to run low,” he said in a statement.

“I’m certain that Stockton and the rest of the crew realised days ago that the best thing they can do to ensure their rescue is to extend the limits of those supplies by relaxing as much as possible.

“I firmly believe that the time window available for their rescue is longer than what most people think.

“I would encourage everyone to remain hopeful for getting the crew back safely.”

However, some experts have said the chances of finding the sub and rescuing those inside is diminishing.

The situation is “gloomy” and “we have to prepare ourselves for the worst”, retired rear admiral Chris Parry told Sky News.

He said the chances of survival for the Titan crew are “vanishingly small”, given the “extreme limits for their oxygen”.

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Afghanistan earthquake kills hundreds and destroys villages – all we know so far

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Afghanistan earthquake kills hundreds and destroys villages - all we know so far

More than 800 people have been killed and at least 2,800 others injured after an earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, according to Taliban state officials.

The quake hit the country’s rugged northeastern province of Kunar, near the Pakistan border, at roughly midnight on Sunday, destroying several villages, officials said.

Rescuers are continuing to work in several districts of the mountainous province where the quake hit, while officials in the capital city of Kabul have warned the number of casualties could rise.

Afghan disaster latest updates

Here’s what we know so far.

What happened?

A 6.0 quake hit Kunar at around 11.47pm local time (8.17pm UK time) on Sunday.

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The quake’s epicentre was near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, at a depth of 8.7 miles (14km). Jalalabad is situated about 74 miles (119km) from Kabul. It is considered a remote and mountainous area.

The large red circle shows the earthquake near Kabul. Pic: German Research Centre for Geosciences
Image:
The large red circle shows the earthquake near Kabul. Pic: German Research Centre for Geosciences

A second earthquake struck in the same province about 20 minutes later, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 6.2 miles (10km). This was later followed by a 5.2 earthquake at the same depth.

Homes of mud and stone were levelled by the quake, with deaths and injuries reported in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare, according to the Kunar Disaster Management Authority.

The first quake hit 17 miles east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity to a key border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan earthquake map
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Afghanistan earthquake map

It has a population of around 300,000 people, according to the municipality, but its metropolitan area is believed to be much larger.

Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions predominantly made from concrete and brick, though its outer areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood.

What have officials said so far?

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health, said: “Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed.

“The figures for martyrs and injured are changing.

“Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area.”

He said many areas have not been able to report casualty figures and that “numbers were expected to change” as deaths and injuries are reported.

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More details on the aftermath in Afghanistan

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: “Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces.

“Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people. Support teams from the centre and nearby provinces are also on their way.”

According to earlier reports, 30 people were killed in a single village, the health ministry said.

“The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” said health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman.

The Afghan Red Crescent said its officials and medical teams “rushed to the affected areas and are currently providing emergency assistance to impacted families”.

Quake measures slightly lower than the country’s deadliest disaster

Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

The country is also one of the world’s poorest, having suffered decades of conflict, with poor infrastructure leaving it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

Strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan border kills hundreds. Pic: AP
Image:
Strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan border kills hundreds. Pic: AP

People carry an earthquake victim on a stretcher to an ambulance at an airport in Jalalabad. Pic: Reuters
Image:
People carry an earthquake victim on a stretcher to an ambulance at an airport in Jalalabad. Pic: Reuters

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake and strong aftershocks struck Afghanistan on 7 October 2023.

The country’s Taliban government said at least 4,000 people had been killed, but the United Nations said the death toll was around 1,500.

The 2023 earthquake is considered the deadliest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan in recent memory.

A series of other earthquakes in the country’s west killed more than 1,000 people last year.

Disaster adds to ‘multiplicity of crises’ for Afghanistan

The earthquake is a “perfect storm” in a country that is already suffering a “multiplicity of crises,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has told Sky News.

Filippo Grandi said the situation in the country was “very tragic” and added: “We have very little information as of yet, but already, reports of hundreds of people killed and many more made homeless.”

“That’s a country that is already suffering from a multiplicity of crises.”

He said Afghanistan is suffering from a “big drought”, while Iran has “sent back almost 2 million people” and Pakistan “threatens to do the same”.

Ambulances prepare to receive victims of an earthquake. Pic: Nangarhar Media Centre/AP
Image:
Ambulances prepare to receive victims of an earthquake. Pic: Nangarhar Media Centre/AP

“It’s extremely difficult to mobilise resources because of the Taliban. So it’s a perfect storm,” he added.

“And this earthquake, likely to have been quite devastating, is going to just add to the misery.”

He appealed to “all those who can help to please do that”.

A foreign office spokesperson for the Afghanistan government said no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work so far.

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At least 43 Palestinians killed as Israeli offensive in Gaza City intensifies

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At least 43 Palestinians killed as Israeli offensive in Gaza City intensifies

At least 43 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Saturday, according to local hospitals, as the Israeli offensive on Gaza City intensifies.

Most of the casualties were reported in Gaza City. Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, said 29 bodies had been brought to its morgue, including 10 people killed while seeking aid and others struck across the city.

Al-Awda Hospital said on Sunday morning that 11 more people were killed in strikes and gunfire, seven of whom were civilians trying to get aid. Witnesses said Israeli troops shot at crowds in the Netzarim Corridor, which is an Israeli military zone cutting Gaza in half.

Ragheb Abu Lebda, from Nuseirat, said the area is a “death trap” after he saw at least three people bleeding from gunshot wounds.

A Palestinian girl walks past a heavily damaged building in Gaza City, a day after an Israeli strike hit it. Pic: AP/Jehad Alshrafi
Image:
A Palestinian girl walks past a heavily damaged building in Gaza City, a day after an Israeli strike hit it. Pic: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

The Netzarim Corridor has become increasingly dangerous, with civilians seeking aid being killed while approaching United Nations (UN) convoys, which have been overwhelmed by desperate crowds and looters.

Others have been shot en route to aid sites run by the controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Neither the foundation nor the Israeli military responded to questions about the seven reported casualties among people seeking aid on Sunday.

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Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in a strike on a tent at Al-Shifa Hospital. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa
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Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in a strike on a tent at Al-Shifa Hospital. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that the spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, Abu Obeida, was killed in Gaza over the weekend after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said his forces had attacked the spokesman without confirming whether he had died.

Hamas has not commented on the claim that Mr Obeida has been killed.

It comes after Israel announced the initial stages of its Gaza City offensive on Friday, following weeks of operations on the outskirts of the city and the Jabaliya refugee camp.

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations in northern Gaza. Pic: AP/Leo Correa
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Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations in northern Gaza. Pic: AP/Leo Correa

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have since intensified its air attacks in the coastal areas of the city.

The military has urged hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in Gaza City to flee, but only tens of thousands have followed through, as many say they are not convinced it is safer elsewhere, or they are too exhausted after repeated displacements.

About 65,000 Palestinians have fled their home this month alone, including 23,199 in the past week, according to the UN.

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A local resident said ‘our choice is to face certain death or to leave and end up on the streets without shelter’.

Many are living in temporary shelters after they were displaced multiple times.

The UN says more than 90% of the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once since the start of the war on 7 October 2023.

Palestinians have accused Israel of forcing displacements after it signalled that aid to Gaza City would be cut.

A Palestinian child waits to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa
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A Palestinian child waits to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa

Malnutrition in Gaza is rife, with part of the Strip suffering from famine, according to a global hunger monitor.

Seven adults died of causes related to malnutrition and starvation over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll from malnutrition-related causes in adults to 215 since late June, the Gaza health ministry said.

Read more:
Gaza diary: ‘The drones are always there’
Israel declares Gaza City a combat zone

The ministry said 63,371 Palestinians have died since the start of the war in October 2023, including 124 children who have died of malnutrition-related causes.

This comes as Greta Thunberg and other activists have embarked on a second aid flotilla to Gaza on Sunday, despite having been detained by Israeli forces and deported when they approached on a British-flagged yacht in June.

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New flotilla of aid into Gaza

Thunberg, who is among hundreds of people from 44 countries on the flotilla, hopes their mission will bring symbolic aid and help open up a humanitarian corridor to deliver more aid.

She said the activists’ goal is to send “hope and solidarity to the people of Gaza, showing a clear signal that the world has not forgotten about you”.

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels raid UN premises and detain several people

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Yemen's Houthi rebels raid UN premises and detain several people

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have raided United Nations offices and detained several people, officials have said.

The group has tightened security across the capital, Sanaa, after their prime minister was killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday.

Sunday’s raids were the latest in a long-running Houthi crackdown against the UN and other international organisations working in rebel-held areas of Yemen.

The offices of the UN’s food, health and children’s agencies were raided on Sunday, according to officials.

Ammar Ammar, a spokesperson for UNICEF, said a number of the agency’s staffers were detained, and the agency was seeking more information from the Houthis.

Media reports have suggested that 11 UN workers were detained.

The Houthis have controlled much of northwestern Yemen since 2014 after forcing out the internationally recognised government and starting a civil war.

They are backed by Iran and have conducted repeated strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Israel.

Ahmed al Rahawi was killed in an Israeli strike. File pic: Reuters
Image:
Ahmed al Rahawi was killed in an Israeli strike. File pic: Reuters

Read more from Sky News:
A diary of daily life in Gaza
China and India discuss disputed border at key summit

Sunday’s events come after rebel prime minister Ahmed al Rahawi and a number of other ministers were killed on Thursday, according to the Houthis.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Friday it had “carried out a significant strike against strategic targets of the Houthi terror regime in Yemen”.

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