OceanGate Believes the Lost Submarine Crew is Dead #Oceangate

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BBC and CNN report that the debris is the external part of the lost submarine. OceanGate Expeditions (owners of the Lost Submarine) said it believes the five passengers on board the missing Titanic wreckage-bound submersible have died.

The Horizon Arctic’s ROV (remotely operated vehicle) found debris on the sea floor near the Titanic wreck. Debris found on the ocean floor, about a third of a mile from the Titanic wreck, has been assessed to be from the external body of the missing submersible.

Dive expert David Mearns says the debris includes “a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible”. Mearns is a friend of passengers aboard the Titan.

GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS, a MIR submersible observing the bow of the Titanic wreck, 2003, (c)Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection

OceanGate statement:

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.

This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.

We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.

This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea.

We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.”