Find out who the people are in the submarine that disappeared on a trip to see the wreckage of the Titanic

All five passengers aboard a submersible that went missing during a dive to explore the site of the Titanic's sinking have died, authorities said Thursday, after underwater robots discovered debris on the sub's sea floor that was "consistent with an implosion." catastrophic.”

A robot from the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic discovered several important pieces of the 21-foot submarine, the Titan, in a debris field about 1,600 feet from the Titanic's bow, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John W. Mauger said in a newscast. conference.

“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Mauger said.

The passengers' families have been notified, he said.

“On behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families,” he said. “I can only imagine what this has been like for them. I hope this discovery provides some comfort during this difficult time.”

The five passengers were:

• Stockton Rush, exploration pilot and chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, owner and operator of the submarine; 
• Hamish Harding, chairman of Dubai-based aircraft dealer Action Aviation; 
• Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a veteran and accomplished diver with more than 30 trips to the wreck site; 
• Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.

OceanGate said in a statement that its “hearts are with these five souls and all members of their families during this tragic time.”

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans,” the company said. “We mourn the loss of life and the joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

The submarine was reported missing after losing contact with the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince about 1 hour and 45 minutes after it began diving on Sunday, about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the Coast Guard said. .

Its disappearance triggered an international search and rescue effort, as crews raced around the clock using specialized equipment to find the submarine, which was designed to have an initial air supply of 96 hours. Authorities also said it had only “limited rations” of food and water.

The search grew to 10,000 square miles, about the size of Massachusetts, and reached 2½ miles deep. Throughout the days of effort, authorities remained optimistic that the operation would continue to be a search and rescue effort and not a recovery mission.

Resources launched in the search included American and Canadian air support vessels scanning the ocean surface and subsurface using sonobuoys; US Navy divers; coast guard and research ships from Canada, France and Norway, some of which were equipped with highly specialized remotely operated vehicles that could work on the ocean floor; and assistance from commercial ships.

A promising moment came Tuesday when the Coast Guard confirmed reports that thumping noises had been detected on the seabed by sonobuoys dropped by Canadian aircraft. Although authorities said the origins of the sounds were unclear, they became the target of search efforts.

Paul Hankins, a U.S. Navy salvage expert, said five large pieces of wreckage from the Titan were found, including the nose cone, which was outside the pressure hull. Crews also found a large debris field that contained the pressure hull's front bell.

“That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event,” he said. A second, smaller debris field contained the other end of the pressurized hull and other debris that compromised the entire vessel.

Officials said the wreckage was in an area away from the Titanic wreckage, on a smooth patch of ocean bottom, and that there were no signs the ship had collided with the historic vessel. The size of the debris field and the last known location of the vessel are consistent with an “implosion in the water column,” authorities said.

Mauger said it was too early to say when the vessel imploded and added that listening equipment used during the search did not detect any type of catastrophic event.

However, a U.S. government official familiar with the incident but not authorized to speak to the media told The Times that technology designed to listen to the movement of the ocean captured the sound of the submersible's implosion just as communications were lost. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which noted the sound “anomaly”.

When asked whether the victims' remains could be recovered, Mauger said he had no answer, reiterating the implosion and highlighting the harsh ocean conditions. “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there at the bottom of the sea,” he said.

Like the search and rescue efforts, the investigation into what happened will be complex, Mauger said, because of the remote location where the event occurred and because it involves government agencies from several countries whose citizens were on board.

The composite material used to build the submarine and the lack of safety systems will be the focus of a maritime investigation that will likely involve Canadian and U.S. investigators, according to sources familiar with such operations.

Nine vessels were on site on Thursday and demobilization efforts are expected to take place over the next 24 hours. But remotely operated vehicles will continue to map the ocean floor, Mauger said, and authorities are working to develop a timeline of the implosion.

“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when this happened,” Mauger said. “These are issues we will gather as much information about as we can now.”

Officials said the wreckage was in an area away from the Titanic wreckage, on a smooth patch of ocean bottom, and that there were no signs the ship had collided with the historic vessel. The size of the debris field and the last known location of the vessel are consistent with an “implosion in the water column,” authorities said.

Mauger said it was too early to say when the vessel imploded and added that listening equipment used during the search did not detect any type of catastrophic event.

However, a U.S. government official familiar with the incident but not authorized to speak to the media told The Times that technology designed to listen to the movement of the ocean captured the sound of the submersible's implosion just as communications were lost. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which noted the sound “anomaly”.

When asked whether the victims' remains could be recovered, Mauger said he had no answer, reiterating the implosion and highlighting the harsh ocean conditions. “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there at the bottom of the sea,” he said.

Like the search and rescue efforts, the investigation into what happened will be complex, Mauger said, because of the remote location where the event occurred and because it involves government agencies from several countries whose citizens were on board.

The composite material used to build the submarine and the lack of safety systems will be the focus of a maritime investigation that will likely involve Canadian and U.S. investigators, according to sources familiar with such operations.

Nine vessels were on site on Thursday and demobilization efforts are expected to take place over the next 24 hours. But remotely operated vehicles will continue to map the ocean floor, Mauger said, and authorities are working to develop a timeline of the implosion.

“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when this happened,” Mauger said. “These are issues we will gather as much information about as we can now.”