Who was on board missing Titanic submersible?

According to the US Coast Guard, five people were onboard the missing OceanGate submersible, taking passengers to see the wreck of the Titanic — one of the world's most famous shipwrecks.

Here is what we know about the passengers so far:

Shahzada Dawood and his son

Engro Board of Directors Vice Chairman Shahzada Dawood is a leading voice for institutionalising key international networks, including the World Economic Forum (WEF).

He serves as Trustee on the Boards of both Engro Foundation and The Dawood Foundation and he joined the Board of Trustees of the SETI Institute in 2020.

He also serves as director across boards of various companies within the Dawood Group, including Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd and Dawood Lawrencepur Ltd.

In a statement, the Dawood family said Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, "had embarked on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean".

As of now, the family said, contact has been lost with their submersible craft, and there is limited information available.

"A rescue effort that is being jointly led by multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies is underway to reestablish contact with the submersible and bring them back safely."

UK billionaire Hamish Harding

Action Aviation Chairman Hamish Harding took to social media on Sunday to confirm that he was joining OceanGate Expeditions as a "mission specialist".

Due to bad weather in Newfoundland, Canada, the expedition was likely to be the only manned mission to the wreck of the Titanic this year, he said.

Harding is based in the United Arab Emirates, where his company's headquarters is. Action Aviation is a sales and operations company offering a range of services in the business aviation industry.

Harding is a self-proclaimed world explorer. He holds a Guinness world record for being the fastest person to go around the world in an aircraft and also participated in the fifth human space flight by the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos.

The 58-year-old was confirmed as one of the passengers of the missing submersible after his stepson Brian Szasz posted on Facebook. Brian wrote that Harding was in his "thoughts and prayers".

Paul-Henry Nargeolet

French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet is a former commander in the French Navy with a career spanning 25 years.

He was the captain of the deep submergence group of the navy during his years in service.

He then joined the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER). Nargeolet has been involved in several scientific trips worldwide, and the Titanic site was one of his many visits.

Stockton Rush

OceanGate CEO and Founder Stockton Rush was also on board the craft.

He was a trained pilot who became a founder and member of the board of trustees of OceanGate Foundation — a non-profit organisation.

In a previous interview, Rush had discussed the Titanic wreck.

"What strikes you is how beautiful it is," he said. "You don't normally see that on a shipwreck. "It is an amazingly beautiful wreck."

He said: "You can see inside; we dipped down and saw the grand staircase and some of the chandeliers still hanging.

"Next year we are hoping to send a small robot inside but for now we stay on the outside."