Missing Titanic sub crew dead after 'catastrophic implosion'

The United States Coast Guard on Thursday said that a missing submersible imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board.

Debris found during the search for the vessel “is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” said Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District during a news conference.

“The outpouring of support in this highly complex search operation has been great appreciated. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the friends and loved ones of the crew,” Mauger said.

OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement that all five people on board submersible Titan, including company CEO Stockton Rush, are believed to be dead.

Rush, Pakistani billionaire businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet "have sadly been lost," OceanGate said in a statement.

OceanGate was meant to explore the wreck of the sunken Titanic, in the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland, Canada for USD 250,000 per person.

The Titan's 96-hour oxygen supply likely ended early Thursday.

The Titan was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic -- but experts have emphasised that was an imprecise approximation to begin with and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. And it's not known if they survived since the sub's disappearance.

Rescuers have rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance.

On Thursday, the US Coast Guard said an undersea robot sent by a Canadian ship had reached the sea floor, while a French research institute said a deep-diving robot with cameras, lights and arms also joined the operation.