OceanGate Expeditions, the company of the missing Titan submersible that launched on Sunday to see the Titanic, says they believe the five passengers on the missing Titanic sub 'have sadly been lost'. The missing Titan submersible, parts of which were discovered today (Thursday) on the ocean floor, 500 meters from the bow of the famous ship they died trying to see. According to a statement, the company confirmed the deaths of the five men on the missing Titan submersible, parts of which were discovered on Thursday on the ocean floor 500 meters from the bow of the famous ship they died trying to see, Mail Online reports. The landing frame and rear cover of the missing submersible were discovered today by a remote-operated submarine in a devastating blow to any hope that the men may still be found alive.
A "debris field" was discovered by an underwater robot, Odysseus 6K, searching near the wreck of the Titanic for a missing submersible with the five people on board, rescuers said Thursday. It would mean the sub suffered a crack and imploded under the underwater pressure, instantly killing all five men on board. Officials have not yet indicated whether they believe the sub ever made it to the Titanic which the men paid $250,000 to do or if they died before they ever got to lay eyes on it. In a statement, OceanGate said this afternoon: '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.' CNN reports that the two pieces of debris were found at 12,500ft underwater, 1,600ft from the famous shipwreck's bow. The company added: "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."