The five passengers onboard the Titanic tourist submarine have died, a Coast Guard official said.
At a press conference which was held today Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said that debris found near the Titanic is believed to be consistent with the Titan submersible. The vessel disappeared on Sunday.
Five separate pieces of the submersible were discovered today which allowed authorities to confirm they came from the Titan, including a tail cone. OceanGate released a statement on Thursday and said they believe their CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet have died after losing contact with the sea vessel on Sunday.
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OceanGate Expeditions said on Thursday its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush, along with UK citizens Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet “have sadly been lost.”
The statement said: “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.”
In a statement the company said: "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 organisations 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."
