Titanic Sub Tourists May Already Be Dead From Hypothermia, Carbon Dioxide Poisoning, Expert Claims

A Titanic submersible that has gone missing since Sunday has been making headlines. However, an expert believed the tourists inside it might already be dead.

Titanic Sub Tourists Unlikely to Survive

A former submarine commander spoke about the likelihood of the four passengers aboard the missing Titanic submersible that lost contact with its mother ship Sunday. According to the authorities, they have enough oxygen to survive until Thursday (June 22) at 11 a.m.

However, while the rescue mission is ongoing, ex-commanding officer Andy Coles believed that the passenger may have died from hypothermia or carbon dioxide poisoning already.

He told Daily Mirror that he doesn't think the submarine has any way of removing the carbon dioxide and re-circulating the air. Therefore, they will probably fall asleep before they suffocate entirely.

Coles added another factor to consider: how cold it is 3,800 meters underwater. He believed that they most likely lacked both power and light since they would have attempted to drive to the surface if they had power.

The expert noted that he was discussing shallow depths. It would take a while to operate, even 100 meters below the surface. Additionally, they use only lights and cameras to complete the task in the dark. It's very dark down there, and there's a chance to use a remote-controlled vehicle to lower a cable and attach it like a claw.

Coles, however, added that doing this will still take time because of its weight. To make his point straight, he pointed out that it took two hours for the submersible to fall.

Coles noted that the hatch is bolted shut from the outside, so even if the submersible could reach the surface, they could not open it.

He added that if the rescuers find the submarine soon, there's less than a 50% chance that the tourists will survive. Coles hopes it will be found and brought to the surface, but it might take two months.

ALSO READ: Search For Missing Titanic Submersible Continues in a Race Against Time; Why Was the Craft Deployed and Who Was on Board?

Missing Titanic Submersible Update

In a previous report from Science Times, a Canadian ship that was involved in the search for the Titanic submersible heard hammering noises that appeared every 30 minutes Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. According to email updates sent by the National Operations Center of the Department of Homeland Security that Rolling Stone was able to get, the sounds were specifically detected in the region where the divers are said to have vanished.

The P-3 Canadian aircraft was able to detect underwater sounds in the search area, the USCG Northeast noted in a tweet. Remotely operated vehicle operations were therefore dispatched to the region to investigate the source of the noises. Unfortunately, the ROV operations have not been successful.

US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said he couldn't tell what the noises were. However, he stressed that the operation was still a "search and rescue mission, 100%," CNN reported.