By Athena Papakosta

Even more ships and boats are rushing to the North Atlantic and the sea area in which the deep-sea vessel “Titan” has been missing since last Sunday. Five people ride in it. Anxiety about their fate hits red” as they run out of oxygen.

According to the latest update from the Authorities the area of ​​research has now expanded. Now the crews are combing the surface of an area twice the size of Connecticut of the United States. At the same time, they have managed to dive to a depth of about 2.5 miles.

“This is a 100% search and rescue operation,” said US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick, adding that “we will continue with every means available to locate the submersible and its crew members.”

But time is the enemy, margins are narrowing and the hourglass is emptying. The ongoing titanic operation is like a living nightmare and the problems are multiplying. Locating the submersible, approaching it with equipment, pumping it to the surface – if it remains intact – all remain to be done before the oxygen runs out today, around noon Greek time.

“Even if they locate the vessel to carry out a rescue mission that has never been done before in such deep waters, so complex, it will take more than 20 hours to trace it and then execute it,” he stressed, speaking to American television network, CNN, Capt. Ryan Ramsey.

“The longer the search operation takes, the less likely it is that the five passengers will be found,” emphasized Professor Jamie Pringle.

And while experts warn of the difficulties of the operation and remain pessimistic that the five who knowingly risked being swallowed up by the wreck of the Titanic will be found alive, hopes, for some, are rekindled after new noises have been heard again from the seabed. Their source still remains unknown but everyone agrees that they sound like bumps noting that the ocean is a noisy place as there are various sounds on the bottom and these mysterious noises could be… anything.

“It’s a complicated area. You should remember that this is where the wreckage of the “Titanic” is located so there is a lot of metal and other miscellaneous objects in the water around the wreck. That’s why it’s so important that we’ve brought in experts from the Navy who understand the science behind a noise and can certify or give us better information about what the source of that noise could be,” he explained. on the American channel CBS the rear admiral of the US Coast Guard, John Moger.

At the moment, the French ship “Atalanti” is also sailing to the spot, carrying the manned submarine “Nautilus” and the unmanned robot “Victor” operated by a team of 25 people. This is fitted with cameras and projectors that illuminate the bottom. It is connected and steered from the surface with a cable, while it can dive to depths of 6,000 meters. It is also equipped with arms that could be used to free the aircraft if it is trapped.

At the same time, complaints came to light regarding the security framework of the specific mission which, moreover, had not even received approval from an official body and to participate one would have to pay the amount of 250,000 euros. And the thriller remains, time is running out and only the most optimistic hope for a miracle.