A deep-sea diver and close friend of the pilot of the Titanic tourist submarine that has been missing for days has expressed optimism for a “miracle.”
Since Sunday, a search for the OceanGate Expeditions submersible Titan, which was carrying five people when it went missing in the Atlantic Ocean, including British millionaire Hamish Harding and pilot and famous French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, has been underway.
With only hours of oxygen remaining on the submarine, optimism lingers as search crews reported hearing ‘underwater sounds,’ indicating the possibility of life.
Deep-sea expert Dr David Gallo claimed on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid and Ben Shepherd that his hope had been’sliding down’ until the noises came.
‘Everything’s happening very quickly, so it’s a race against time.
‘My hopes are high, and we need a miracle at this point but miracles do happen, so I’m very optimistic, I have to be.’
Talking about his close friend, pilot of the submarine Nargeolet, he said: ‘He is, and I mean this literally, as comfortable on a deck of a ship in a roaring hurricane, with waves crashing over the deck, he’s as comfortable there as he is sitting in a freezing cafe.
‘He’s incredibly kind, giving, it’s not just me that has this attachment, hundreds of people adore this man.
‘Extremely competent and unflappable, so if he were in a difficult situation, I’ve been there with him in difficult situations.’
‘He’s a pretty remarkable guy,’ he added.
Dr Gallo continued: ‘If I was going to be stuck in a submarine with someone, it would be P H Nargeolet for sure.’
The explorer elsewhere called the situation a ‘bitter’ one, saying, about the rescue mission: ‘The best person to have on the job would be P H Nargeolet and unfortunately he’s not on this side of the equation with me, he’s on that side of the equation, which makes this very, very, bitter, to have to go this way.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1.
