The company that owns the missing Titan submersible has confirmed all five men on board are dead after debris was found 1,600ft from the famous wreck.
OceanGate Expeditions said its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush – along with UK citizens Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet “have sadly been lost.”
The US Coast Guard offered its “deepest condolences” to the families after the tail cone of the submersible was found by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) around 1,600ft from the bow of the wreck of the Titanic, which sank in 1912, and said their remains may never be found after the craft suffered a “catastrophic implosion”.
In a press conference, Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was “consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”.
He said: “This morning, an ROV, or remote operated vehicle from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor.
“The ROV subsequently found additional debris. In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.
“Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.
“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.
“And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.” (Standard)