Titanic tourist submersible: Who are the five on board the missing vessel?

Rescue operations are underway to locate a submersible that has disappeared during a dive to explore the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic. As per reports, five people are aboard the 21-foot tourist craft named Titan, including a British Pakistani businessman and his son. There has been no sign of the tourist submersible yet which lost contact with the research vessel Polar Prince about one hour and 45 minutes into its dive in the mid-Atlantic on Sunday morning (18 June), Sky News reported. Who are the five people missing on the Titanic tourist submersible? Let’s take a closer look. Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Shahzada Dawood, vice chair of Engro Corporation – one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates, is on board the missing vessel with his son, Suleman. Both are British citizens, reported BBC. As per AFP, Engro is headquartered in Karachi and has a variety of investments in energy, agriculture, petrochemicals and telecommunications. According to SETI Institute, a research organisation in California of which Shahzada is a trustee, he lives in Britain with his wife Christine, and his children, Suleman and Alina. Shazada has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Buckingham in the UK and a Master of Science degree in Global Textile Marketing from the United States’ Philadelphia University Shazada’s father Hussain Dawood is often listed among Pakistan’s richest people by the local press, reported AFP. Shahzada, 48, also serves on the Global Advisory Board for Prince Charles’ Charity, Prince’s Trust International. In a statement on Tuesday (20 June), the Dawood family in Pakistan confirmed the duo had set out on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. “As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available,” the statement read. “A rescue effort that is being jointly led by multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies is underway to reestablish contact with the submersible and bring them back safely,” it added. “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.” Hamish Harding He is a well-known explorer with three Guinness World Records under his belt. The 58-year-old British businessman is the chairman of aircraft firm Action Aviation, a sales and operations company providing an array of services in the business aviation industry. Harding spent five years in Karnataka’s Bangalore, serving as managing director of a logistics company, before establishing Action Aviation in 2004, reported AFP. He has travelled to the South Pole several times, including once with former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as per the BBC report. Harding holds the world record for the longest time spent at full ocean depth during a dive to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, the report added. [caption id=“attachment_12765802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Hamish Harding is a well-known explorer with three Guinness World Records under his belt. AP File Photo[/caption] Harding bagged the Guinness world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth by an aircraft via the North and South Poles in 2019, as per Sky News. Last year, he flew to space on board Blue Origin’s fifth human space flight. Harding, who is based in Dubai, had posted on social media ahead of his journey that he was joining OceanGate Expeditions – the company that provided the submersible – as a mission specialist.

As per BBC, Harding’s stepson Brian Szasz in a now-deleted post on Facebook confirmed earlier the businessman was on the sub: He “has gone missing on (the) submarine.” ALSO READ: What’s the Titanic sub, which charges Rs 2.02 cr for expedition, that has vanished? Paul-Henry Nargeolet Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French Navy diver, is also on the missing Titanic sub. During his 25-year-long service in the French Navy, he became the captain of the deep submergence group, reported Sky News. The 77-year-old is the director of “underwater research at a company that owns the rights to the Titanic wreck”, according to BBC. As per Al Jazeera, in an interview with France Bleu radio in 2020, Gargeolet had opened up about the dangers of deep diving, saying: “I am not afraid to die, I think it will happen one day.” Mathieu Johann, a spokesperson of Nargeolet told ABC News that the French explorer “is indeed on board.” He further said that Nargeolet’s wife dwells in the US and she “awaits him patiently.” Stockton Rush Stockton Rush, the chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, is also reportedly on the missing sub. OceanGate organises this eight-day trip to the wreck of the Titanic which is located 600km off the coast of Newfoundland. The expedition, costing $250,000 (£195,600) per person, starts in St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. According to Rush’s profile on OceanGate’s website, he became the youngest jet transport rated pilot globally in 1981 at the age of 19. [caption id=“attachment_12765822” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Stockton Rush is reportedly on board the missing Titanic tourist submersible. Reuters File Photo[/caption] In an interview with Sky News back in February this year, Rush had talked about visiting the Titanic wreck earlier. “What really strikes you is how beautiful it is,” he said. “You don’t normally see that on a shipwreck.” “It is an amazingly beautiful wreck”, he added. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .