All five tourists aboard the missing OceanGate Titan submarine are presumed dead after US Coast Guard officials revealed the ship suffered a “catastrophic explosion”.
The news comes Thursday after authorities confirmed the debris found was part of the submarine in question.
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US Coast Guard says ‘catastrophic explosion’ caused deaths of all five missing tourists
The wreckage lies 1600 ft below the bow of the RMS Titanic on the seabed, Rear Admiral Wayne R. Arguin Jr. said in a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Arguin told reporters: “After consulting with experts, the debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of pressure chamber. “After seeing this, we immediately informed the families.”
Another US Coast Guard spokesman described the issue as a “catastrophic explosion”.
NEWS: US Coast Guard confirms debris consistent with catastrophic explosion#titan #Imploded #Titanic #OceanGate pic.twitter.com/kU3YA3CppG
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The rear admiral said he hoped the discovery would bring families closer
Arguin continues to offer his deepest condolences to the family of British businessman Hamish Harding and Stockton Rush, both of whom jointly founded OceanGate CEO, as well as Pakistani billionaire Shahzada and his son Suleman Dawood and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver.
The rear admiral said he hoped the find would “bring solace to the families.”
“I can only imagine how this happened to them. I hope that this finding will bring some consolation at this difficult time,” he added.
Meanwhile, the company whose submarines were involved in the catastrophic and deadly loss released a statement about the five men shortly before Thursday’s press conference, CNN report.
“These men are true explorers who share a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” according to the statement. “Our hearts go out to these five souls and every member of their family during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of lives and the joy they brought to those they knew.”
What’s Next: Officials Seek How, Why, and When Related to Catastrophic Explosions
The statement continued: “This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community and for each family member of those lost at sea. We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most traumatic time.”
They said the next stage is to continue investigating the debris area and trying to recover the bodies. Officials are seeking to determine how, why and when the catastrophic explosion occurred.
According to various reports, the submarine’s oxygen levels should have been depleted by 7:08 a.m. Thursday. The ship was equipped with a four-day emergency oxygen supply.
The ship sank on Sunday (June 18) to dive into the wreck of the RMS Titanic. However, it lost signal in the Atlantic Ocean 370 miles off Newfoundland, Canada, according to a statement provided by Harding’s “Explorer Club”.
