NEW YORK, June 22. /TASS/. The missing Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion, which killed all those on board, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters on Thursday.
"This morning, an ROV from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tailbone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor," he said. "The ROV subsequently found additional debris. In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Mauger went on to say. "I offer my deepest condolences to the families," he added.
Experts believe that the submersible suffered "a catastrophic implosion." When asked about the time of the implosion, Mauger said: "Right now, it is too early to tell." "We’ve had sonar buoys in the water, nearly continuously, and have not detected any catastrophic events when those sonar buoys have been in the water," he noted.
On June 19, the OceanGate Expeditions company announced that it had lost communication with the Titan sub, which was taking tourists to the site of the Titanic wreckage. According to the US Coast Guard, there were five people inside the vessel; communication was lost about 1 hour 45 minutes after diving on June 18. According to Sky News, the submersible’s passengers were OceanGate Expeditions President and Founder Stockton Rush, French aquanaut Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, owner of Action Aviation, Pakistani-born British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.