Five passengers of Titan submersible confirmed dead

Authorities confirmed the deaths of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; Action Aviation company president Hamish Harding; French adventurer Paul-Henry Nargeolet; and Ocean Gate CEO Stockton Rush; all five passengers aboard the Titan tourist submarine.

Rear Admiral John Mauger, one of the people in charge of the rescue operation hosted a press conference on Thursday and revealed the latest information from Ocean Gate Expeditions. The company, along with the Coast Guard, pronounced the five occupants of the submersible dead and offered its condolences to the families.

"This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community and for each of the family members lost at sea," said Ocean Gate spokesman Andrew Von Kerens. The Coast Guard also confirmed information previously released by the family of the deceased. The wreckage found by the ROV did indeed belong to the Titan submarine.

According to Rear Admiral John Mauger, most of the resources deployed during the search will remain in the triangulated area while authorities continue to gather information.

Five days of searching

Rescue efforts for the five passengers aboard the Titan submarine intensified toward the end. Rescue crews knew that the oxygen available inside the vessel was running out. Authorities were hopeful that they would find the crew alive, Coast Guard spokesman Captain Jamie Frederick said Wednesday. "We are optimistic and hopeful," he stated, while aware that it was a complex mission due to the depth at which the submersible may be found. Finally, the death of the five crew members was confirmed.

The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard deployed the necessary means to carry out the rescue operation. They deployed offshore fisheries science vessel CCGS John Cabot, the Canadian anchor handling vessel Motor Vessel Horizon Arctic, the research vessel L'Atalante, the coastal defense vessel HMCS Glace Bay and the remotely operated underwater drone handling vehicle Magellan ROV. The search was also conducted from the air to facilitate visual contact by radar.

This Wednesday, a Canadian aircraft participating in the submarine rescue mission detected some sounds at 30-minute intervals coming from the area of the disappearance. The operation was set up in a search perimeter similar to the size of Connecticut. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) joined this mission. "We are assisting in search operations," said DOD Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.

Connection with the Titan tourist submarine was lost last Sunday while on an expedition in the Atlantic Ocean taking passengers to see the wreckage from the Titanic, which sank about 370 miles off Newfoundland in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.