OceanGate has issued a statement after the heartbroken families of the five people onboard the Titanic submersible had suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’.
During a press conference on Thursday, First Coast Guard District commander Rear Adm. John Mauger said that the debris found was consistent with the ‘catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber’ of the vessel, known as Titan.
He also said that the sub’s tailbone was found 1,600 ft from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor.
Mauger confirmed that five major pieces of debris were discovered, which indicated that the submersible had suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion.’
OceanGate then issued a statement that read: “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.”
The full statement continued: “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.”
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