Five large pieces of debris found – the occupants of the “Titan” submarine are dead Climatologists warn: 2023 could be the warmest year since measurements began

The US Coast Guard assumes the death of the five occupants of the submarine “Titan”. He extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, spokesman John Mauger said in Boston on Thursday. According to the US Coast Guard, the debris found at the Titanic wreck belongs to the missing submarine Titan. This proves that there is no chance of survival for the five missing.

On Thursday morning, a remote-controlled underwater vehicle found the stern cone of the submarine on the seabed about 500 meters from the bow of the “Titanic”. Five large pieces of debris were discovered on the seabed. They resembled those that would result from a catastrophic loss of the hyperbaric chamber.

At the time of the submarine’s implosion, the Coast Guard is unable to provide any information. It was still “too early” to say anything with certainty, the press conference said. Sonar buoys had not detected a “catastrophic event” in the past 72 hours. “I know there are a lot of questions about how, why and when exactly this happened,” Mauger said.

The Coast Guard has announced that it is now phasing out the search. “We will begin withdrawing personnel and vessels from the scene of the accident in the next 24 hours,” Mauger said. However, operations on the seabed would continue until further notice. At the moment, the focus is on documenting the site. The data would be analyzed.

The submarine has been missing since Sunday morning (local time). The “Titan” was on its way with five people on board to the wreck of the “Titanic” that sank in 1912 at a depth of approximately 3800 meters. Contact with the mother ship was lost approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the dive.

In the area of ​​operations about 700 kilometers south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland, teams from the US and Canada had launched a large-scale search, both on the surface and in the depths of the ocean. Ships, airplanes, remote-controlled underwater vehicles, diving robots and other equipment were used.

Meanwhile, the underwater noise had fueled hopes that the Titan’s occupants would survive. The US Coast Guard has now said that there is probably no connection between the sound and the location where the debris was found.

On board the “Titan” were, among others, the Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet (77), the British adventurer Hamish Harding (58), the British-Pakistani management consultant Shahzada Dawood (48) and his 19-year-old son Suleman and the chief of the Oceangate operating company, Stockton Rush (61), who piloted the boat.

Oceangate, Titan’s operating company, said the five men on board were “true explorers, with a special spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.” We mourn and our hearts are with the bereaved, it said. It is also an “extremely sad time” for the employees. (first/sda/dpa)