NewsNation is under fire over airing an 'oxygen remaining' countdown clock for the missing Titanic submersible

• NewsNation is under fire over an "oxygen remaining" countdown clock for the missing Titanic submersible.
• The submersible, which is carrying a total of five people, has been missing since Sunday.

US news network NewsNation has come under fire over an "oxygen remaining" countdown clock appearing on screen amid its coverage of the missing Titanic submersible.

The submersible was carrying a total of five people to see the Titanic shipwreck at around 13,000 feet under the surface when it lost contact with its mothership on Sunday afternoon.

The US Coast Guard estimated Monday that if the Titan was not breached, the oxygen in the submersible was likely to last 70 to 96 hours. It's estimated that the oxygen would run out at around 7 a.m. ET on Thursday.

During its live rolling coverage Wednesday and into Thursday, NewsNation included a countdown clock for the submersible's remaining oxygen, prompting backlash online.

"They counting down like it's the Super Bowl man," wrote one person on Twitter.

Another wrote: "That's insane, they really have no shame."

One person accused the station of counting down the remaining oxygen as if they were counting down to the New Year.

"Peoples lives are in danger?" they wrote.

"Y'all really think these ppl families wanna turn on the TV and see a damn countdown to how much longer their loved ones got to live?" tweeted another person.

NewsNation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The missing submersible, named the Titan, is run by OceanGate Expeditions.

On Tuesday, Insider reported that a 2018 lawsuit warned about safety issues with the submersible.

David Lochridge, OceanGate's former director of marine operations, alleged in August 2018 court filings that he was wrongfully terminated after raising concerns about the company's "refusal to conduct critical, non-destructive testing of the experimental design" of the Titan.

The filings say that after OceanGate's CEO, Stockton Rush, asked Lochridge to do a quality inspection of the Titan, he developed concerns about a "lack of non-destructive testing performed on the hull."

After recommending that OceanGate seek "assurance tests and satisfy industry-standard safety controls" on the submersible, Lochridge said he was fired.

"OceanGate gave Lochridge approximately 10 minutes to immediately clear out his desk and exit the premises," the court filing says.