The mini-submarine has been missing since Sunday morning (local time).
(Photo: dpa)
Washington The US Coast Guard assumes the death of the five occupants of the submersible “Titan”. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, spokesman John Mauger said in Boston on Thursday.
The debris found near the Titanic wreckage is said to belong to the missing mini-submarine. This proves that there is no longer a chance of survival for the five missing.
According to the operating company OceanGate Expeditions, the occupants are probably dead. It is assumed that the men died, the company said.
The Coast Guard had previously reported that a diving robot had encountered a “debris field” in the area of operation. The information would be analyzed, it said first. The submersible has been missing since Sunday morning (local time).
The “Titan” was with the five people on board on the way to the wreck of the “Titanic” that sank in 1912 at a depth of around 3800 meters. About an hour and 45 minutes after the start of the dive, contact with the mothership was lost.
Forces searched 26,000 square kilometers for the submersible “Titan”
In the operational area around 700 kilometers south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland, teams from the USA and Canada had started a large-scale search both on the water surface and in the depths of the ocean. Ships, aircraft, remote-controlled underwater vehicles, diving robots and other equipment were used.
Until recently, the US Coast Guard had assured that they would not give up and would use all available means to find the “Titan” and her crew. The forces searched an area of around 26,000 square kilometers. That is larger than the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
There was hope for a short time after loud and knocking noises were registered. But on Thursday, an underwater vehicle discovered the debris field on the seabed.
In the submersible were the CEO of the operating company OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, the British entrepreneur and adventurer Hamish Harding, the Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman and the French “Titanic” expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
After the death of the five adventurers, the US Coast Guard wants to reduce their search. “We will begin to withdraw personnel and ships from the scene of the accident over the next 24 hours,” spokesman John Mauger said in Boston on Thursday. However, operations on the seabed will continue until further notice.
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