SEARCHERS looking for five divers who disappeared during an underwater trip to see The Titanic wreckage said they heard banging while underwater, internal communications records reveal.
Officials continue to frantically search 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, for the OceanGate sub that vanished early Sunday during the 13,000-foot-deep expedition.
Records obtained by Rolling Stone show that a Canadian aircraft detected banging in 30-minute intervals in the area where the divers disappeared.
“RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air,” the Department of Homeland Security e-mails read.
“The PH deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position.
"The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard."
It's unclear what caused the banging noises.
Five passengers paid $250,000 per head to descend 13,000 feet below the ocean surface during an eight-day excursion that is said to end with a view of the Titanic's remains.
However, the sub, named the Titan, vanished just two hours after descending beneath the ocean's surface and is believed to have 40 hours of oxygen left in the tank as of Tuesday afternoon.
British Billionaire Hamish Harding has been identified as one of the five people trapped in the missing sub, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British-based Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
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French diving expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet is believed to be the fifth passenger.
The Explorers Club, an international association that advances exploration efforts and technology, said it has a 6,000-meter certified remote-operated vehicle called the Magellan that is ready to dive and search for the missing passengers.
Hamish is a founding member of the board of trustees of the group, which has been involved in many of the world's most prestigious discoveries.
In a statement, the club said that data shows signs of life and they are confident there's cause for hope.
"We continue to work on approval for the Magellan ROVs to be allowed to deploy to the site as we believe they can provide invaluable assistance," the club wrote.
"Our hearts are with family and friends of fellow Explorers Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and the rest of the submersible crew as we await hopefully good news."
OceanGate boasts state-of-the-art technology that can advance human exploration to unprecedented depths.
This heavily complicates rescue efforts as first responders have only been able to safely dive 2,000 feet below the surface.
The U.S. Navy has planned to send a deep-water lifting system to help with search efforts on Tuesday.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, First District Response Coordinator Capt. Jamie Frederick said officials have already scoured a 7,600 square mile area – which is roughly the size of Connecticut.
Canadian forces and a number of private vessels are also aiding the search.
Even if they're able to locate the missing vessel before its oxygen supplies run out on Thursday morning, Frederick conceded there was no guarantee that rescuers will be able to bring the sub to the surface.
OceanGate, one of few companies offering trips to see the ruins, confirmed a major search mission has been launched to "bring the crew back safely".
The deepest successful underwater rescue in history was in 1973 when British engineers Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman were saved after their submersible became trapped on the seabed at 1,575ft.
This operation would be 11,000ft deeper.
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