A submersible intended to take five people to visit the wreck of the Titanic was missing as of Wednesday night. If the people inside are still alive, they are rapidly running out of air. A massive search is underway, but the ocean is huge, and the vehicle could be anywhere.

The expedition is a commercial endeavour run by a company called OceanGate, that runs out of St. John's. Would-be explorers pay $250,000 to risk death in exchange for a glimpse of the fabled wreck more than three kilometres below the surface. Why would someone pay so much to risk their life this way? What do we know about the craft that carries the crew, and the company that built it? And why does the Titanic still hold such a grip on our psyches after all this time?

GUEST: Leyland Cecco, Canadian reporter with The Guardian

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