Channel 5 has changed its schedule on Thursday (22 June) evening to include a new documentary titled Titanic Sub: Lost at Sea.
The live special will, of course, focus on the missing tourist submarine, which was lost on an underwater expedition to view the Titanic shipwreck on Sunday (18 June).
The live special will air at 7pm – just hours after the Titan submersible is due to run out of oxygen – and is presented by former Football Focus host Dan Walker.
The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it left its surface ship around 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Sunday morning (18 June), meaning it is due to run out around 10am (BST) on Thursday (22 June).
In a synopsis seen by The Independent, Channel 5’s ITN-produced documentary promises to “bring viewers the latest on this story, taking an in-depth look at the extraordinary events”.
The programme will feature interviews with experts speaking about the science of the vessel as well as people “close to those onboard” about the passengers.
Ian Rumsey, managing director of content for ITN, said: “This programme will chart everything from the exploration itself, to the rise of extreme tourism, to the rescue attempts, but above all it will tell a very human story that has captured the nation which is about five people, all with families, who are trapped at the bottom of the ocean.
The submersible vessel named Titan— (OceanGate Expeditions/PA)
“Our expertise and heritage in fast-turnaround documentaries and reputation for responsible filmmaking means we always treat such stories with great sensitivity.”
Five people are onboard the missing submarine: British billionaire Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman, founder and CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, and veteran French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
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On the same day, the submarine went missing, Harding’s stepson Brian Szasz was spotted at Blink-182’s concert in San Diego.
“It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favourite band and music helps me in difficult times,” Szasz apparently wrote in the caption of his since-deleted post.
A Canadian aircraft searching for the sub in the Atlantic Ocean recently detected intermittent “banging” noises from the vicinity of its last known location.
Rescue crew searching for the missing sub heard banging sounds every 30 minutes on Tuesday (20 June) and again four hours later, after additional sonar devices were deployed.
The US Coast Guard, however, has clarified that they do not know “the source of the noise”.
Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here