A Mexican actor who last year undertook an undersea voyage on the same Titanic-bound Titan submersible that has gone missing said he was lost in the depths of the sea for two hours.
Alan Estrada said the battery of OceanGate’s Titan submersible drained mid-voyage, forcing the vessel to return to save the lives of its passengers.
The Youtuber said he secured a $125,000 excursion to see the world’s biggest shipwreck last July, after getting delayed by a year for unspecified reasons. The price, which was paid for by a sponsor for the trip, had doubled by then to $250,000.
Mr Estrada told Daily Mail the submersible experienced a communication blackout for two-hours as they remained lost underwater.
Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here.
“My biggest concern was obviously losing my life,” Mr Estrada said. “All the people who made this expedition … we are aware of the risks we are taking. It’s not a surprise.”
He said the trip was cut short by four hours after the battery levels dropped below 40 per cent and the submersible retreated to the surface, he said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
The search for the minivan-sized submersible Titan ran into the fifth day on Thursday, after it went missing with five people onboard on Sunday. It lost contact with its surface support ship near the end of what should have been a two-hour dive to the site of the world’s most famous shipwreck, in a remote corner of the North Atlantic.
Rescue teams are continuing the search for the submersible tourist vessel which went missing during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck with five people aboard— (PA Media)
On Thursday the submersible was believed to be left with just hours of oxygen supply after it set off with air supply of 96-hours.
How long the air would actually last, experts said, depended on various factors, such as whether the submersible still had power and how calm those aboard remained.
The actor said that he and other passengers on the vessel knew about the dangers involved in the expedition.
“Because it is an experimental submersible, many things can happen and we were aware that not only something could happen that could put your life at risk,” Mr Estrada said. “But the dive probably could not be done successfully if the weather was not in your favor.”
Wishing well for those missing with Titan, he said: “I wish with all my heart that they find them”.
“Today is a crucial day for this rescue. I hope they find them safe and sound.”
A spokesperson for the mothership which launched the missing submersible defended OceanGate, saying it runs an “extremely safe operation” after questions were raised about safety. The submersible Titan is run by OceanGate.
Sean Leet, co-founder and chairman of Horizon Maritime Services, which owns the Polar Prince mothership from which Titan was launched, said: “OceanGate runs an extremely safe operation.”
“Our full focus right now is getting that submersible located and getting those people brought back safely. We’re in constant contact with the crew of the Polar Prince. Our emergency procedures kicked in immediately,” he said.
“Our emergency room is staffed 24/7 with a group of extremely capable people and there’s live communication with the vessel at all times. We’ve got 17 people on board the ship.”
