The unfortunate demise of the five passengers who were exploring the wreckage of the Titanic aboard a submersible vessel has been confirmed by the expedition company, OceanGate Inc. The company released a statement on Thursday expressing their sorrow at the loss of these “genuine adventurers who possessed a remarkable spirit of exploration, and a fervent passion for probing and conserving the planet’s oceans.”
The officials pointed out the discovery of a debris field roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreckage’s bow. Five significant debris pieces found within this area led them to the conclusion that the vessel might have suffered an implosion.
The tragic announcement followed soon after the discovery of the debris field near the Titanic wreckage on Thursday. As experts were analyzing the discovered materials, a friend of two of the lost men suggested it was the landing frame and rear cover of the vessel.
OceanGate Expeditions initially reported the 22-foot-long submersible, named Titan, missing on Sunday evening. The company declared that it lost contact with its deep-sea voyagers a few hours into their journey. The alarm was raised several hours later when the sub failed to resurface at the expected time.
Since then, both U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian officials have been engaged in extensive search and rescue operations. They’ve been employing various teams and resources in a desperate attempt to locate Titan and its five occupants. The crew included OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is believed to have been at the controls for this particular voyage.
OceanGate offers Titanic exploration trips at $250k per ride. Besides Rush, the other individuals on board were British explorer Hamish Harding, researcher/diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, along with his son Suleman.
The Titan was reported to have limited life support, with only enough air supply to last 96 hours, which would have depleted by Thursday morning.
During the search operations on Tuesday, rescue teams picked up rhythmic banging sounds on their sonar equipment every 30 minutes. An internal U.S. government memo, as reported by CNN, mentioned these sounds could assist in locating the vessel.
OceanGate’s technology used in its submersible has been questioned recently. Although certain parts of the Titan utilized advanced technology, others were found to be assembled from everyday consumer goods, including gaming remote controllers, standard light fittings, and other basic components.
Allegedly, a former employee of OceanGate attempted to raise concerns about Titan’s safety to his superiors in 2018. According to a whistleblower complaint, he was purportedly dismissed after voicing these concerns.
Given the circumstances, experts have stated that the chances of passenger survival were extremely low. Former Coast Guard Captain Andrew Norris elucidated the numerous miraculous occurrences needed for the passengers to have survived the distressing incident.
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