The operator of a submersible that went missing near the Titanic wreckage announced on Thursday June 22, their belief that all five individuals on board had perished. This conclusion was based on the Coast Guard’s description of a “catastrophic” implosion of the vessel at the profound depths of the ocean.
The operator of a submersible missing near the wreck of the Titanic said Thursday it believed all five people on board were dead, due to what the Coast Guard described as a “catastrophic” implosion of the vessel in the ocean depths.
The solemn announcement from Oceangate came hours after rescuers said a “debris field” had been discovered following a dayslong search — adding to fears that, even if the vessel were still intact, its oxygen may have run out.
The US Coast Guard said the debris was consistent with a “catastrophic implosion” of the vessel.
The development came after rescuers insisted that the multinational mission to locate the craft was still focused on finding the crew alive despite fears that the vessel’s oxygen may have run out.
Based on the sub’s capacity to hold up to 96 hours of emergency air, rescuers had estimated that the passengers, which include fee-paying tourists, may have run out of oxygen in the early hours of Thursday.
A surge of assets and experts had joined the operation in the past day, and sonar has picked up unidentified underwater noises.
The Titan was carrying British billionaire Hamish Harding and dual Pakistani-British citizens Shahzada Dawood, a tycoon, and his son Suleman. OceanGate Expeditions charges $250,000 for a seat on the sub.
Also on board is OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, and a French submarine operator Paul-Henri Nargeolet, nicknamed “Mr Titanic” for his frequent dives at the site.
The Titanic’s watery grave is situated 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and more than two miles below the surface of the North Atlantic.
The pressure at that depth as measured in atmospheres is 400 times what it is at sea level.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
