A Dublin man has confirmed that he is safe on board the mothership of the submarine that has gone missing near the site of the Titanic wreck.
Rory Golden of Dublin works for the company that launched a submersible vehicle to the site of the Titanic wreck, which was reported as missing on Monday.
The Dublin native is part of the crew for the expedition, and is on board the main ship from which the submersible was being operated and tracked.
Golden, who became the first Irish diver to visit the wreckage in 2000, wrote on his Facebook page to inform his relatives he is safe onboard the mothership and was not on the missing vessel known as the Titan.
“I’m OK. We are all focused on board here for our friends. Please do not ask for their names, as this is most insensitive. Please do not speculate. I have seen some comments already on social media that are highly inappropriate and insensitive.”
“I really want to thank everyone who has been trying to Message and WhatsApp me. We have a situation that is now part of a major Search and Rescue effort, being undertaken by major agencies. That is where our focus is right now.”
“The reaction and offers of help globally is truly astonishing, and only goes to show the real goodness in people at a time like this. Our online and internet options are being restricted in order to keep bandwidth available for the co-ordinated effort that is taking place, so please bear that in mind too.”
“Thank you all, and think positive. We are.”
The Titan, which brings tourists to the site of the ill-fated Titanic wreckage, went missing about 435 miles off the coast of Canada’s Newfoundland with five people onboard.
Sky News reports that the Titan, which is supposed to send “pings” every 15 minutes to the surface has stopped reporting.
Tickets for the expedition to visit the wreckage cost $250,000 each, and brings tourists as deep as 13,120 feet under the Atlantic Ocean.
David Concannon, an adviser to trip operator OceanGate, said that officials were working to get a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that can reach a depth of about 20,000 feet to the site as soon as possible, and Canadian and American coast guard units are assisting with the search.