In a tragic update, all five individuals aboard the Titanic submersible are presumed dead. The passengers included Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and the CEO of OceanGate – the company responsible for the sub – Stockton Rush.

OceanGate released a statement acknowledging that “this is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea.”

Named ‘Titan,’ the sub and its passengers aimed to reach the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland but went missing on June 18 after it lost contact with its mothership an hour and 45 minutes into the dive. Emergency recovery efforts were underway once OceanGate Expeditions told the U.S. Coast Guard that the submersible’s oxygen supply could only last up to 96 hours.

Both the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard searched thousands of square miles of ocean in hopes of finding survivors but recovery efforts ended in tragedy when rescuers found remains of the missing vessel consistent with a “catastrophic implosion.”

Rear Admiral John Mauger, First Coast Guard District commander, said a remote operate vehicle from the Vessel Horizon Arctic “discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor” alongside debris “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.”

Prayers go out to those who lost their lives and their families who are grieving at this time.

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