US Coast Guard reports explosion of Titan near Titanic with assumption of death

Expedition OceanGate, the operator of the missing submarine, said it believes all passengers and the pilot aboard the submarine are dead, with the US Coast Guard declaring that wreckage found near the Titanic wreck site corresponds to the wreck of the Titan.

“Our hearts go out to these five souls and each member of their family during this tragic time,” OceanGate said in a statement. “We mourn the loss of life and the joy they brought to all who knew them.”

OceanGate Expeditions said its pilot and chief executive, Stockton Rush – along with British nationals Hamish Harding, Shahzada Daoud, his son Suleiman Daoud and French national Paul-Henri Nargolet were “unfortunately lost”.

The coast guard said the missing submarine exploded near the wreckage of the Titanic after experiencing a “catastrophic loss” of pressure.

“Based on this decision, we have notified the families immediately,” Admiral John Mauger told reporters in Boston.

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire Unified Command, I extend my deepest condolences to the families.”

The five people on a submarine who were visiting the Titanic wreck under two miles of ocean have died after a “debris field” identical to the missing submarine was discovered by a robotic deep-sea vessel.

The Coast Guard said five “major pieces” had been recovered from the Titan submarine wreck.

They include part of the airlock, nose cone, front end bell, and rear end bell.

A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found debris fields on the sea floor of the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,600 feet (490 meters) from the bow of the Titanic Thursday morning.

Marine expert Paul Hankin said: “We found five different major pieces of debris that told us they were the remains of Titan.

“The initial thing we found was the nose cone outside the pressure structure.

Then we found a large debris field.

“Within this large debris field, we found the front bell of the pressure structure. This was the first indication that a catastrophic event had occurred.

Shortly thereafter, we found a second, smaller debris field. Within that debris field we found the other end of the pressure hull—the aft end bell—which basically comprises the aggregate of this pressure vessel.

“We continue to identify the debris field, and as the admiral said, we will do everything we can to fully map what is out there.”

The Coast Guard said the ROV that made the discovery was from the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic.