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Rachel Lang
Two separate search crews have reported hearing banging and tapping sounds coming from a location not far from where the tourist submarine went missing as it ventured towards the wreckage of the Titanic.
According to several leaked emails seen by Rolling Stone, a Canadian aircraft fitted with sonar technology has picked up repeated banging sounds.
The publication claims it has seen reports of repeated noises as per an email exchange by the US Department of Homeland Security.
"RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air reported a contact in a position close to the distress position," the email claimed.
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"The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard."
Additionally, the email claimed that 'the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre is working to find an underwater remote-operated vehicle through partner organisations to possibly assist' in determining the source of the noise.
But they weren't the only ones picking up noises not far from the last known location of the missing submersible.
Travel and research group, the Explorers Society, also claimed their crew heard a 'tapping' noise in another email, also seen by Rolling Stone.
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"It is being reported that at 2 am. local time on site that sonar detected potential ‘tapping sounds’ at the location, implying crew may be alive and signalling," the leaked email read.
Search and rescue teams are now racing against time to locate the missing submarine.
British explorer and billionaire businessman Hamish Harding was confirmed to be one of the five people missing on the Titanic sub.
As well as Harding, the others missing are OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman.
All of them are believed to have been on the missing vessel on Sunday (18 June), with US Coast Guard officials saying the submarine has enough oxygen to last three days at most.
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Four heartbroken families are now awaiting news as the search operation continues over the North Atlantic.
US and Canadian rescuers are trying to locate where the missing submersible is after it vanished some 435 miles (700km) south of Newfoundland, Canada.
OceanGate, the company that took tourists to visit the wreck of the Titanic, has previously confirmed that five crew members are on board the submersible, named the Titan, that has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean.
In a statement, they said: "Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families.”