The search crew found the Titan debris approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic|@OceanGate|via Twitter
The US Coast Guard confirmed yesterday that the five men aboard OceanGate Titan tragically died in a catastrophic implosion after the search crew discovered debris near the Titanic shipwreck.
The desperate search for the passengers—OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, a renowned Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a British billionaire Hamish Harding, and a father and son, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood from Pakistan—was called off.
The search crew found the debris approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic shipwreck, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said at a press conference.
Titan’s last journey
- The tourist sub departed on Sunday to the Titanic site that lies over 2 miles underwater, but soon lost contact.
- The Coast Guard located the nose cone and the front end bell of the pressure hull near the Titanic shipwreck, indicating a catastrophic pressure chamber failure.
Banging sounds
Canadian officials and experts confirmed that the sound detected by their aircraft was unrelated to the debris found.
The investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Extreme tourism poses risks
Though incredibly tragic, the Titan implosion is hardly the first extreme adventure tourism disaster.
The tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, has had one of its deadliest climbing seasons this year alone. In Nepal, 17 climbers lost their lives while climbing the peak.
Rich customers are willing to risk their lives and spend high cash to explore uncharted or obscure locations like the deep sea, space, and Mount Everest. However, the sector, which was predicted to generate a trillion dollars this year, is unregulated and requires better technology for safer transportation.