Oxygen on the missing Titanic submersible is expected to run out in hours, with hopes of finding the five people on board starting to fade.
The vessel, named Titan, lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.
Ships, planes and underwater craft have been deployed to the area with rescuers 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).
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How might Titan be found?
The US Coast Guard has been leading an international rescue effort, which was stepped up after underwater noises were heard on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, although experts have been unable to determine the cause of the sounds.
According to OceanGate, Titan’s operator, the 6.7m-long (22ft) OceanGate Expeditions vessel which has British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding on board, has a 96-hour oxygen supply in case of emergencies.
Also in the undersea craft are 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.
A former passenger on one of Titan’s maiden voyages told Sky News on Thursday he ultimately “decided to back off” from the Titanic dive project as he “couldn’t get comfortable with the design”.
US explorer Josh Gates described how there were system errors during his journey on the submersible in a “shakedown dive” in 2021 with Mr Rush.
“I would say that some of the systems on board performed very well. Some of them didn’t perform well at all. We had issues with thrusters, we had issues with computer control aboard,” he said.
Image: (Clockwise from top left) Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Stockton Rush, Hamish Harding, Suleman Dawood and Shahzada Dawood
Key points: • Mission to find vessel enters a new phase of urgency with the final few hours of oxygen left on board • OceanGate’s US-based chief executive Stockton Rush, French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Britons – billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman Dawood are on the sub • The US coast guard is leading an international rescue effort, with a vast area of the Atlantic Ocean off the Canadian coastline being searched • Rescuers have rushed more ships, planes and vessels to the site of the disappearance, hoping underwater sounds they have been detecting for days might help narrow their search
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Missing sub: ‘It takes a lot of courage’
No other sub like Titan in the world
The US Coast Guard predicts the oxygen supply in the Titan submersible will run out at 12.08pm UK time today.
An extensive search and rescue operation is continuing, as those involved say they will “hold on hope until the very end”.
One of the vessels sent to help search efforts is French research vessel L’Atalante which carries a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Victor 6000.
It has the capability to lift the Titan ship to the surface.
Asked whether the mission was changing to become a recovery search, Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard told reporters: “This is a search and rescue mission, 100%, we are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue and will continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members.”
Even those who have expressed optimism have warned many obstacles remain: from pinpointing Titan’s location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, then bringing it to the surface – assuming it is still intact.
All this has to happen before the passengers’ oxygen supply runs out.
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There is no other vehicle like Titan anywhere in the world – it is a one-off, said Mr Gates.
He said Titan is described in the waivers as an “experimental craft” and added “it is truly experimental in a very real sense of the word”.
“It is like being a test pilot on a plane that has never ever flown before, and so there is a totally different category of risk with a vehicle like this,” he said.
“There are a huge number of unknowns with a submersible like this… You have an innovative, novel design, but it comes with a lot of mysteries in terms of how it is going to perform over time.”
Mr Gates said the fact that Titan apparently has not surfaced despite being “well off the bottom” when contact was lost at the weekend opens up questions over what else may have gone wrong.
One such possibility is a hull failure, which “speaks to the carbon fibre design of Titan”, Mr Gates said.
He added that though the time period for a rescue is closing, “we should remain hopeful here for a positive outcome for this”.
Mr Gates also touched on some online criticism of the passengers for boarding the experimental craft at a high cost, saying there have been “a lot of callous comments”.
He said Titanic has “fascinated the world” since she sank a century ago and the shipwreck holds “a real fascination for people”.
“It takes a lot of courage and determination to go on a voyage like this,” he said, adding that he “commended” the five men aboard Titan for having the “passion and determination” to embark on the deep-sea trek.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men in the West Bank after they appeared to be surrendering.
Palestinians said the killings, which were captured on video and shown on two Arab TV channels, were carried out “in cold blood”.
In the video, the men were seen exiting a building and lying on the ground in front of Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Both men lifted their T-shirts and held their hands in the air, apparently to show they were not carrying weapons or explosives.
The soldiers then appeared to order the men back inside the building before they were shot.
A Reuters journalist in the area saw the men leave the building, appearing to surrender, and later, after hearing shots fired, saw Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body.
The men were identified as al Muntasir Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37, by Palestinian authorities.
Image: Footage of the incident has been broadcast on Arab TV channels
What has Israel said about the incident?
A joint statement between the Israeli Defence Forces and Israeli police said: “Earlier this evening (Thursday), during an Israel Border Police and IDF operation in the area of Jenin, the forces operated to apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.
“The wanted individuals were affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin.
“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.
“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.
“The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the military and police unit involved in the shooting had his “full backing”.
“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists should die!” he wrote on X.
Image: A Reuters journalist captured images from near the scene. Pic: Reuters
‘An outright extrajudicial killing’
But Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli investigations in such incidents yield few results, with Israeli troops rarely prosecuted.
The Palestinian prime minister’s office in Ramallah also accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood”, calling the shooting “an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Yuli Novak, the executive director of B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, said: “The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime.
“In Israel, there is no mechanism that acts to stop the killing of Palestinians or is capable of prosecuting those responsible.”
Israel’s military has scaled up its military operations in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to B’Tselem, which said the perpetrators were “granted full impunity by Israel”.
Donald Trump has warned US action against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers will move to the land “very soon”.
American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.
The US has accused the South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, of being involved in the drugs trade – a claim he denies.
Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
Image: Mr Trump made the comments while in Florida for Thanksgiving. Pic: Reuters
‘We warned them,’ says Trump
America’s most advanced aircraft carrieris among the ships that have been deployed to the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific as part of Operation Southern Spear.
Mr Trump said on Thursday he was preparing to significantly ramp up the response.
“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he told military service members in a call.
“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
“We warned them to stop sending poison to our country,” Mr Trump added.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat
The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as foreign terrorist organisations – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda and Hamas.
This week it formally designated Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as such, and said the group was headed by Mr Maduro and “other high-ranking individuals” from his regime.
Another Venezuelan drugs group, Tren de Aragua, was designated a terror organisation by the US in January.
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Mr Maduro – seen by most countries as a dictator who’s cheated elections – has accused the US of “fabricating” a war to overthrow him and install a more favourable government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves and other natural resources such as gold and diamonds.
Experts say Mr Maduro, 63, could use oil as a bargaining chip in any future negotiations.
Mr Trump has said previously he would be open to talks – but that prospect seems unlikely, with the Venezuelan leader wielding a sword this week as he vowed to “defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat”.
Police said a passer-by who made a tourniquet to stem the man’s bleeding had probably saved his life.
Switzerland’s foreign affairs office didn’t name the victims – who are both believed to be in their 20s – but confirmed they were Swiss citizens.
The pair are said to have arrived the night before, camping nearby before going for a swim with dolphins at dawn – a time when sharks are more active.
The man suffered major wounds to his thigh after trying to fight off the shark and dragging his partner more than 50m back to shore, reported Sky News Australia.
The woman died on the sand but call handlers instructed the passer-by how to fashion a tourniquet from a swimsuit in order to treat the man.
Image: Early assessments indicate a bull shark may be responsible. File pic: iStock
New South Wales Ambulance superintendent Josh Smyth said the backpacker’s quick thinking was “heroic” and created valuable time for them to reach the remote, unpatrolled beach.
Sky News Australia said initial indications are a large, mature bull shark may be responsible.
The beach has been closed while drones scour the area and drumlines have been laid in the hope of capturing the shark.