An expert has said he was told the debris located in the search for the missing OceanGate submersible WAS from the vehicle itself.
Rescue expert and friend of the men trapped on the sub, David Mearns, has told Sky News he received a WhatsApp from someone "directly connected" to the ships involved in the search, who told him "a landing frame and rear cover from the submersible" was recovered.
Mr Mearns said he had been contacted by the president of The Explorers Club, which his friend and one of the missing passengers, Hamish Harding belongs to.
He said: "There is a WhatsApp group between ourselves and the explorers club, that we have all been connected to as soon as this happened, and our President is directly connected to the ships that are out there, and the message they are telling me 'if you are talking about debris, it was a landing frame and rear cover from the submersible'."
He added: "So again, this is a very unconventional submarine, that rear cover is that pointy end of it, and the landing frame is the little frame that it seems to sit on, and that is how its docked into the landing bit, so that confirms it's the submersible."
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However, Explorers Club President Richard Garriot said his message may have been misrepresented.
Mr Garriot wrote to the Independent to say: "We understand debris has been found which may be the landing frame and a rear cover of the tail instrument compartment of the Titan lost on previous dives.
"We hear there may be additional debris, but no updated visuals of the submersible."
The US Coast Guard said it was not commenting on what the debris consisted of.
It said experts were “evaluating the information” after a debris field was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle searching for the missing Titan submersible.
A spokesperson for the USCG wrote: "A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information."
A conference has been arranged for 3pm EST (8pm UK time) to “discuss the findings”.
Mr Mearns is a UK-based marine scientist and oceanographer who specialises in searching for shipwrecks, and is a friend of British billionaire Hamish Harding who is aboard the missing craft.
The description of a "debris field" is an important use of phrase, Mr Mearns added.
He told the broadcaster: "A debris field implies there's a break up of the submersible and at that depth, because we know that they lost communications at around 3,300m… so that really indicates what is the worst case scenario which is a catastrophe failure, an implosion."
He added: "The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate - literally in milliseconds - and the men wouldn't have known what was happening."
The Coast Guard’s post on Twitter did not say whether officials believe the debris is connected to the Titan, which was on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic. It said the debris was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated underwater robot.
Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, former Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, added "the nature of the announcement suggests this debris is in some way connected with the Titan".
He explained: "There is of course a large debris field around the Titanic - and the various things we've seen retrieved from the Titanic have come from the debris field. It covers several hectares.
"But I think if this was Titanic debris, the Coast Guard would have made a distinction in the announcement. I think on balance this is probably grim news and suggests the Titan might have imploded under the immense pressure of the seawater while it was on its way down."
Finding debris raises the question of if the vessel was intact from the moment the search began.
Documents show OceanGate was repeatedly warned that there might be catastrophic safety problems posed by the way it was developed.
Rescuers have rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance. On Thursday, the US Coast Guard said an undersea robot sent by a Canadian ship had reached the sea floor, while a French research institute said a deep-diving robot with cameras, lights and arms also joined the operation.
The vessel was about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.
Founding member of the Board of Trustees of The Explorers Club, Hamish Harding, was on board the undersea craft, alongside UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, and OceanGate’s chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, as well as French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Sidonie Nargeolet, Paul-Henri's daughter said: "If they are not found, it will be very sad for us because we will not see him again"
"What he liked the most was to be in a submarine, (near) the Titanic. He is where he really loved being. I would prefer him (dying) at a place where he is very happy."
Nargeolet was a renowned diver.
