Sounds heard in search for Titanic submersible

Search teams looking for a missing submersible carrying tourists to the world-famous Titanic wreck have detected underwater sounds while scanning the area.

The US Coast Guard said on Wednesday robotic undersea search operations were diverted to the area where the sounds seemed to originate, but there was still no tangible sign of the missing vessel.

The submersible is designed to remain underwater for 96 hours, and the US Coast Guard has said it has less than 30 hours of oxygen left.

Five passengers are on board the submersible.

The Times of Malta reported on Wednesday that one of the persons on board, Shahzada Dawood, obtained a Maltese citizenship in 2016.

Records indicate that he became a Maltese citizen at the same time as his parents Hussain and Kulsum Dawood, with other members of his family following suit the following year.

The world-famous Titanic ship wreck

The 21-foot-long submersible Titan, operated by U.S.-based OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact with its parent surface vessel on Sunday morning about one hour, 45 minutes into what should have been a two-hour dive to the site of the world's most famous shipwreck.

The wreck lies some 3,810m beneath the surface - about 1,450 km east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 644 km south of St. John's, Newfoundland.