Amid the desperate efforts to locate a submersible that went missing while on its way to Titanic wreckage an immersive video show how deep it could be. The 3D footage, created by Spanish animation company MetaBallStudios, gradually descends through a virtual underwater seascape filled with global landmarks to show how deep particular stretches of the ocean are - from the beach to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench. According to the YouTube description of the video, the footage was created in 2021, but is making waves online in the wake of the disappearance of the Titanic submersible.
The OceanGate Expeditions vessel Titan was carrying five passengers to the famous wreck when it went off radar.
The animation begins from a coast and as it gradually progresses, multiple landmarks are depicted in the water including the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building.
Watch the video:
As the camera further pans through the digital depths, the video shows typhoon-class submarine's test depth (400 metres) and the bottom of the Southern Ocean (3,270 metres).
The video progresses and the viewers get to see the wreckage of the Titanic, 3,700 metres below sea level at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, the spot where rescuers believe the Titan is trapped.
It is run by OceanGate Expeditions founder. The five people on board are: Company's CEO Stockton Rush, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.
US Coast Guard, Canadian military planes, French vessels, and teleguided robots have been pressed into service to locate the sub, which has just about an hour of oxygen left. The Titan was designed to have an oxygen supply of as much as 96 hours in case of an emergency.
A Canadian plane with sonar capabilities had picked up sounds on Wednesday, and remotely operated vehicles were moved to the area where the noises originated. The sounds raised hopes that the passengers on the small tourist craft are still alive though experts have not been able to confirm their source.
The submersible can take its passengers to a depth of 4,000 metres, according to OceanGate, which means it can just reach the Titanic wreck at 3,800 metres. The company charges $250,000 per seat for the expedition.
