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After days of feverish searches, the US Coast Guard presumes the death of the five occupants of the submarine now discovered in the Atlantic Ocean. The debris found at the wreckage of the “Titanic” belonged to the missing “Titan,” US Coast Guard chief John Mauger said Thursday (local time) in Boston. This means that there is no chance of survival for the missing. He expressed his condolences to the family.

The overview.

What happened?

A remote-controlled underwater vehicle found the stern of the submarine on the seabed Thursday morning about 500 meters from the bow of the “Titanic,” the Coast Guard said. A total of five large pieces of debris were discovered. They indicated a collapse of the hyperbaric chamber.

When did the submarine implode?

At the time of the implosion, the Coast Guard was unable to provide any information. 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,” said Mauger.

Meanwhile, US media reported that a US Navy underwater acoustic detection system had probably already registered the implosion on Sunday. “The US Navy conducted an analysis of the acoustic data and found an anomaly due to an implosion or explosion near the Titan submarine operating site when communications were lost,” a spokesperson told ABC. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier.

How’s it going from here?

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.

Have the dead been found yet?

When asked if the bodies of the crew could be found, there was still no answer. The Coast Guard said it was an “incredibly unforgiving environment” around the Titanic wreck.

Who was on board?

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

Also known as “Monsieur Titanic”, Nargeolet was considered one of the leading experts on the luxury liner wreckage. “His second home was the sea. He was so comfortable there,” his stepson John Paschall told CBS News. “I think it means a lot that he spent his last moments near a place that meant so much to him.”

How did the relatives react?

Harding’s family, who holds several Guinness World Records and has traveled to space, said: “What he has achieved in his life is truly remarkable and if we can take any small comfort from this tragedy, it is that we lost in what he loved.”

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has expressed his condolences on behalf of the government to the families of the victims. She stands by the affected families, he wrote on Twitter.

The “Titan” operating company Oceangate also expressed condolences to the families. The five men on board were “true explorers”, with “a singular 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.

Who was involved in the search?

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

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

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 sounds heard and the location of the debris.

Who organized the trip?

The Oceangate company offers wealthy clients an adventure trip – the cost for the eight-day expedition is $ 250,000 (224,000 francs) per person. The diving trip to the “Titanic” itself usually only takes a few hours.

The Titanic sank in April 1912 on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in the North Atlantic. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 people on board were killed. The remains of the famous luxury liner, broken into two large pieces, were discovered in 1985.

Why did the boat sink?

In light of reports of poor security on the missing submarine, experts expect consequences. “There will definitely be an investigation after this disaster and much stricter rules and regulations will be put in place,” David Scott-Beddard, head of Titanic exhibition company White Star Memories, told CNN. (sda/dpa)