On Thursday, the US Coast Guard announced that a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) had discovered a “debris field” during the search for the missing OceanGate Titan submarine. The submarine went missing on Sunday with five people on board.
The ROV discovered the tail cone and other debris from the missing submersible approximately 1,600 feet away from the bow of the Titanic. The Titanic rests at a depth of around 13,000 feet in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the observed debris field is consistent with a “catastrophic implosion.”
There is currently no information regarding the presence of human remains.
The U.S. Coast Guard held a press conference in Boston on the Titan submarine.
“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, told reporters.
The families were immediately notified, according to Mauger. “I can only imagine what this has been like for them and I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time,” he said.
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Just moments prior to the press conference, OceanGate Expeditions, the company responsible for operating the deep-sea submersible, released a statement expressing their condolences for the loss of the five individuals on board.
“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” the statement read.
“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
