Rescue operation underway after Titanic tourist submarine goes missing: Reports

WASHINGTON

The US Coast Guard has begun a search and rescue operation after a tourist submarine bound for the Titanic's wreckage site went missing Monday.

The US Coast Guard in Boston is now carrying out the search after the vessel went missing off the southeastern coast of Canada, according to multiple reports. The Titanic wreckage site lies in the North Atlantic Ocean some 12,000 feet (3.7 km) below the ocean's surface.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to multiple requests for confirmation on the situation.

The owner of the tourist vessel was not immediately clear, but CBS News reported that OceanGate Expeditions, a company that specializes in submarine tours to the wreck site, said on its website that an expedition was "underway."

The website appeared to be down Monday morning, but it has videos posted to its YouTube account promoting Titanic exploration tours. OceanGate Expeditions could not be immediately contacted for comment.

The company tweeted on June 14 that it was using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service to communicate with its Titanic exploration crews.

"The wreck of the Titanic lies about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Without any cell towers in the middle of the ocean, we are relying on @Starlink to provide the communications we require throughout this year’s 2023 Titanic Expedition," it said.

It last posted about two Titanic exploration crews comprised of dozens of people on June 15.