A Pakistani entrepreneur and his son are amongst the five people missing during their exploration of the Titanic ruins in the North Atlantic, his family has revealed.
The 48-year-old vice-chairman of the Karachi-based conglomerate Engro, Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, were on the vessel that lost all communication while at a depth of 12,500ft.
The vessel, equipped with only 96 hours of oxygen, began its descent on Sunday but lost contact with the surface less than two hours later, according to authorities.
"As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available," a statement read.
"A rescue effort that is being jointly led by multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies is underway to reestablish contact with the submersible and bring them back safely," it added.
"We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety," the statement reads.
Engro, which has a wide range of investments in energy, agriculture, petrochemicals and telecommunications, made a revenue of 350 billion rupees ($1.2 billion) in 2022.
Shahzada's father Hussain Dawood is regularly listed among Pakistan's richest men by the local press.
Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate Expeditions, is also feared to be on board.
Another passenger aboard the missing craft has been identified as British businessman Hamish Harding.
Coastguards are scanning the remote area of the North Atlantic where the Titanic rests 400 miles (650 kilometres) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and some 13,000 feet (4,000 metres) underwater.