The US Coast Guard confirms that the occupants of the Titan, a submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions have passed away in what they’re calling “a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.”
An ROV operated by the Horizon Arctic this morning located the Titan’s tail cone approximately 1600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. A short while later more debris was found indicating that the vessel had imploded “in the water column.”
The Coast Guard says the families were immediately notified.
Rear Admiral John Mauger was unable to offer any indication as to whether the bodies can be recovered.
He calls it an “incredibly unforgiving environment” and the debris is consistent with a “catastrophic implosion.” They’ll continue to search the area, but he says he doesn’t have any information on the prospects of recovering the deceased at this time.
(Via OceanGate)
The Titan lost contact with its support vessel the Polar Prince on Sunday morning, about 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the wreck of the Titanic.
The Titan, a 21-foot submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions, had five people on board, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, UK Billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding and UK/Pakistani businessman Shazhada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The US Coast Guard is offering its thoughts and supports to the families.
