Source: OceanGate/Archivo / other
As hours turned into days, hope that the five men aboard OceanGate Titan were somehow still alive received a sobering blow as debris near the search area is believed to be part of the ill-fated submersible.
The Titan’s tail cone was found approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the historic shipwreck on the sea floor, the US Coast Guard said. Authorities said it the debris was consistent with a “catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.”
An Official Statement from OceanGate:
“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. 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.”
The Titan set off on a harrowing voyage to the ocean floor Sunday (June 18) with a goal of surveying the wreckage of the Titanic, a monstrous ship who met its own catastrophic fate in 1912. The titanic is located nearly 13,000 feet below sea level.
Just over an hour after its descent into the North Atlantic Ocean, the Titan lost contact with is supporting ship. Equipped with few amenities and only enough oxygen for days of survival at best, the crew’s fate appeared bleak from the start, and today’s news begins a tragic chapter in a story that captured the world’s attention.
What’s next
Over the next 24 hours, officials will begin to demobilize nine vessels and any medical staff involved in the massive efforts to find the Titan and its crew.
