All five passengers on board the Titan submersible have died, the US Coast Guard says
Rear admiral Mauger confirmed that five parts of the vessel were found approximately 1600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreck
The debris discovered was consistent with a “catastrophic implosion”, he tells a news conference
The rear admiral says he cannot confirm whether the bodies can be recovered, saying it is an “incredibly unforgiving environment”
Offering the Coast Guard’s deepest condolences to the families, the rear admiral adds: “I can only imagine what this has been like for them”
Earlier, the vessel operator OceanGate said: “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time”
The submersible went missing on Sunday after setting off to explore the wreck of the Titanic .
The five people who died on the Titan submersible were “true explorers”, the company who operated the dive has said.
The men “shared a distinct spirit of adventure”, OceanGate said in a statement.
The men died in what the US Coast Guard believes was a catastrophic implosion.
Five parts of the submersible were found on Thursday, approximately 1600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreck. It had disappeared on Sunday.
The men on board the sub included Stockton Rush, the 61-year-old CEO of OceanGate, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman, 19, and British businessman Hamish Harding, 58.
The fifth man on board, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, was a 77-year-old former French navy diver and renowned explorer.
At a news conference on Thursday, Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said that the debris is believed to be consistent with the Titan submersible.
It is unclear what led to the destruction of the Titan.
Source: BBC News
NewsAnnexOnline 