Footage inside Titanic submersible shows how claustrophobic space is

Old footage has emerged showing the claustrophobic conditions inside the submersible that has gone missing the near the wreck of the Titanic.

The deep-sea vessel - which has five people on board - lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the shipwreck off the coast of Canada. Previous clips from inside the submersible have now emerged showing the cramped conditions that passengers face, the Mirror reports.

The vessel has no seats, one tiny bathroom and was likely navigated using a 'video game controller'. All passengers have to sit on the floor, according to a BBC video from 2022 featuring OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush as he gave a tour of the submersible.

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In the video, Rush is shown sitting on the ground while showing the video crew around - not that there was much around. The submersible has a small bathroom, one overhead light, a few wall lights, and a window.

It is navigated using a video game controller that Rush waves in the air during the tour. Usually, those are tolerable conditions, as the entire round trip on the submersible lasts eight hours, from launching from a boat until it surfaces.

Yesterday, the US Coast Guard estimated that the missing 6.7 metres (22ft) long OceanGate Expeditions vessel had just 40 hours of oxygen left. British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding is on board, as well as Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman and Mr Rush, reportedly together with French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

Mike Reiss, who joined OceanGate to glimpse the deteriorating wreck in 2022, said the trip is less tourism than it is true exploration — and