- A deep-diving robot has been deployed in the search for the Titan submersible, the US Coast Guard said.
- The Victor 6000 can go to depths of almost 20,000 feet, meaning it could be key to any rescue.
A French robot that can dive almost 20,000 feet under water has been deployed in the search for the submersible that went missing en route to the wreckage of the RMS Titanic on Sunday.
The US Coast Guard said on Thursday morning that "the French vessel L'Atalante has just deployed their ROV."
The vessel reached the search area on Thursday morning, Sky News reported.
While other remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and listening devices have been used in the search for the Titan submersible, which lost contact with its mothership less than two hours into its dive on Sunday, the Victor 6000 can go particularly deep, which may be needed if the submersible is located far below the surface.
Victor 6000's operator said on Wednesday that it can dive deeper than other equipment that was at the site, Reuters reported.
The Titanic's wreckage is around 13,000 feet below sea level, which is thousands of feet deeper than any undersea rescue has ever successfully taken place.
It is not clear if the Victor 6000 is being deployed in a specific location that rescuers believe the submersible could be, or simply joining the wider search.
The BBC reported that the robot will have two pilots on board L'Atalante who control it, working in four-hour shifts, as well as a third person who works in the control room.
It is not clear what happened to the Titan submersible, or to the five crew members on board. But rescuers are in a race against time if the crew are still alive, with the 96 hours of oxygen on board potentially running out Thursday morning.
The Victor 6000 has lights and cameras and two arms that could remove or cut debris, according to the BBC.
And while the robot is not strong enough to lift the Titan to the surface by itself, it could help by hooking the vessel to a ship on the surface that has the capacity to lift it, an official who works for its operator said, Reuters reported.