Washington (Web Desk/Agencies): The United States (US) Coast Guard on Thursday said that Titan submersible was found in pieces from a "catastrophic implosion" that killed everyone aboard.
US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters that a robotic diving vehicle discovered a debris field from the submersible Titan on the seabed some 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.
'The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Upon this determination we immediately notified the families.
'On behalf of the Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families.'
The prospect of recovering any of the victims' remains is slim.
It is pertinent to mention that the Titan, operated by the US-based company OceanGate Expeditions, had been missing since it lost contact with its surface support ship on Sunday morning about an hour, 45 minutes into what should have been a two-hour dive to the world's most famous shipwreck.
Five major fragments of the 22-foot (6.7-meter) Titan were located in the debris field left from its disintegration, including the vessel's tail cone and two sections of the pressure hull, Coast Guard officials said. No mention was made of whether human remains were sighted.
The submersible lost contact on Sunday morning with its support ship about an hour and 45 minutes into what should have been a two-hour descent.
The five people aboard included the British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani-born business magnate Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, both British citizens, French oceanographer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who had visited the wreck dozens of times; and Stockton Rush, the American founder and chief executive of OceanGate, who was piloting the submersible.