Missing Titanic sub: Five crew confirmed dead as debris confirmed to be from OceanGate Titan

The five people onboard the missing sub, OceanGate’s Titan, have died, it has been confirmed. OceanGate said in a statement that their hearts were with the families of those lost.

It came as US Coast Guard officials said debris field found earlier today was identified as belonging to missing OceanGate’s Titan. In a press conference tonight, a spokesperson said the crucial parts of the system detected were the sub’s tail cone and other debris.

The five individuals on board were British billionaire Hamish Harding, British businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, OceanGate’s US-based chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, and French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard, who led the search for Titan, said: "The debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Upon this determination we immediately notified the families.” He added that the Coast Guard wanted to "extend our condolences to the families of those on board".

He added: “On behalf of the US Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.

“Additionally, we have been in close contact with the French and British consuls general to ensure that they are fully apprised and that their concerns are being fully addressed. The outpouring of support during this highly complex search operation has been robust and immensely appreciated.”

He also rules out the possibility of recovering the bodies, saying: "This is an incredibly unforgiving environment.”

Officials said five major pieces were detected amid the debris around the Titanic site. Among them, a nose cone, the cover of the pressure hull, and a larger debris field.

OceanGate pays tribute

In a statement from OceanGate, the company said: "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 organisations 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."

The discovery comes hours after it was predicted that the submersible’s air supply ran out around 12.08pm UK time on Thursday. OceanGate’s Titan was reported overdue on Sunday evening (June 18) while carrying a crew down to the wreck of the Titanic, about 435 miles off the Canadian coast.

Rescuers searched a remote stretch of the Atlantic Ocean more than twice the size of the US state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 4,020m (13,200ft) with ships, planes, and submersible craft from numerous countries.

Earlier, David Mearns, a rescue expert who knows Mr Harding and the pilot, Mr Nargeolet , told Sky News that a debris field implies a break-up of the submersible, which indicates the worst-case scenario - catastrophic failure and an implosion.

He said: "The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate - literally in milliseconds - and the men wouldn’t have known what was happening." He said his "worst fears have now been realised" - and he had been praying for a different outcome. He said:

"Two friends of mine are gone.”