In a statement to multiple news outlets, OceanGate reported that it believes all five passengers on its missing Titan submersible have "sadly been lost."
The company made the announcement hours after the Coast Guard said debris has been found in the search area for missing submersible Titan in the Atlantic Ocean. The search continued into its fourth full day on Thursday after additional U.S., French and Canadian military assets arrived.
"A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information," the U.S. Coast Guard Northeast tweeted.
The debris field could be evidence of the destroyed vessel.
OceanGate confirmed its CEO Stockton Rush, along with passengers Shazada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet were on board.
According to estimates by Coast Guard officials, the air supply inside Titan was expected to run out at around 6 a.m. ET
As of Wednesday afternoon, the search area involved an area twice the size of Connecticut. Officials were conducting searches on the surface and bottom of the ocean.
The submersible was set to explore the Titanic shipwreck, which sits 2.5 miles below the ocean surface. Each square inch of surface area at that depth absorbs thousands of pounds of pressure. It is also dark and cold at the bottom of the ocean.
The sub lost contact with a surface-based vessel less than two hours into its voyage. Until Thursday morning, it had not been seen or heard from since Sunday.
Their statement can be read below:
Statement from OceanGate Inc.
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 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.
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
