A crew of five, including a pilot and four others, were aboard the Titan submersible when it lost contact with its support vessel during a dive at the Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic on Sunday.
Here are the passengers who confirmed they were on board the missing aircraft.
Hamish Harding
Hamish Harding, a British businessman and explorer, was among those aboard the submersible, according to Mark Butler, the managing director of Mr. Harding’s company, Action Aviation.
Mr Harding, 58, who holds several Guinness World Records, including one for longest time crossing the deepest part of the ocean in a single dive, wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday that he was proud to finally announce that he joined OceanGate’s mission « on the submarine going down to the Titanic ».
Mr. Harding is the president of Action Aviation, a Dubai-based airline sales and operations company. He had previously flown into space on a mission by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket company.
Mr. Harding has also taken part in an effort to reintroduce cheetahs to India and holds a world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth through both geographic poles by plane.
In a Instagram message Saturday with photos of the submersible and him signing a flag for the Titanic mission, he wrote that the group had sailed from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, on Friday, and were planning to begin diving operations around 4 on Sunday .
While the winter has been particularly harsh in Newfoundland this year, « a weather window has just opened, » he added.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French maritime expert who has participated in more than 35 dives at the Titanic wreck site, is one of five people aboard the submersible who have been missing since Sunday, said Mathieu Johann, an agent of Mr Nargeolet.
Mr. Nargeolet is the Director of Underwater Research for RMS Titanic, Inc., an American company which owns the salvage rights to the famous wreck and displays many of the artifacts in the Titanic exhibitions. The company conducted eight search and recovery expeditions between 1987 and 2010, according to its website, and Mr. Nargeolet has taken part in more than 35 dives at the wreck site.
Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood
British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, are among those aboard the missing submersible, according to a statement from Engro Corporation, of which Mr Dawood is a vice president. Mr. Dawood is a scion of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families, with experience in manufacturing textiles and fertilizers.
Mr Dawood and his son had « embarked on a voyage to visit the remains of the Titanic » when contact with the vessel was lost, the statement said, asking for prayers for their safe return and privacy for the family.
Mr. Dawood is also on the board of directors of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute. The organization said on its website who was a resident of Great Britain and the father of two children.
