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Search team says families have been informed; five different major pieces of debris suggest it was remains of Titan, expert says.
The aunt of 19-year-old Suleman Dawood told NBC that her nephew was "terrified" of the expedition prior to embarking on it.
Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of the Pakistani billionaire businessman Shahzada Dawood told the outlet that Suleman had told a relative that he "wasn't very up for it" and felt "terrified" about the journey.
"I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath ... It's been crippling, to be honest," Azmeh said.
"I feel disbelief . It's an unreal situation," she said, adding, "I feel like I've been caught in a really bad film, with a countdown, but you didn't know what you're counting down to . I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them."
Azmeh also talked about her younger brother Shahzada who also died in the implosion, saying, "He was my baby brother . I held him up when he was born."
She added that her brother was "absolutely obsessed" with the Titanic from an early age and that he loved visiting museum exhibitions on the wreck.
In an old undated video posted online following news of the implosion, the CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush can be seen admitting that he broke some rules to create the submersible.
"I'd like to be remembered as an innovator. I think it was Gen McArthur that said, 'You're remembered for the rules you break.'
I have broken some rules to make this. I think I've broken them with logic and good engineering behind me. The carbon fibre and titanium there is a rule that you don't do that. Well, I did," Stockton said, referring to a combination of two materials that can cause a galvanic corrosion.
Richard Garriott, president of the Explorers Club, of which Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet were both members, has said he is "heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost".
The statement reads:
Our friends and fellow Explorers Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet are lost, along with Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, while trying to reach the RMS Titanic.
He said the club is "grateful for all our members and the scientific and exploration community around the world who have mobilized personnel and resources to support the search and rescue".
Garriott described Harding as a "dear friend" to himself and the Explorers Club. "He holds several world records and has continued to push dragons off maps both in person and through supporting expeditions and worthy causes," he says.
Harding and Nargeolet were "both drawn to explore . in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind", he added.
We're heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost. Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.
Five crew members aboard the submersible Titan were probably killed instantly in a "catastrophic implosion" as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic two miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, US Coast Guard officials said.
A large debris field containing five major pieces of the vessel were spotted by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) scouring the seabed near the Titanic wreck site 400 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland, officials said. The debris was "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber", they said.
It is too early to tell exactly when the implosion occurred, officials said, noting that nothing was detected on sonar buoys deployed in the ocean in recent days.
Those aboard the submersible were British adventurer Hamish Harding, 58; French veteran Titanic explorer Paul Henri Nargeoloet, 77; British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman; and 61-year-old American Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the company that operated the lost sub.
Officials could not confirm whether they will be able to recover the bodies of the crew members. The US Coast Guard will continue to investigate the site of the debris field, while vessels and personnel will be demobilised over the next 24 hours.
We have the latest info here at a glance:
Related: Titan sub implosion: what we know at a glance
Titanic film director James Cameron who has made 33 dives to the wreck site has responded to the news of OceanGate Titan's submersible imploding.
In an interview with ABC, Cameron said:
I've been down there many times . I know the wreck site very well . I understand the engineering problems associated with building this type of vehicle and all the safety protocols . This is a mature art and many people in the community were concerned about the sub . I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night and many people died as a result."
I've been down there many times . I know the wreck site very well . I understand the engineering problems associated with building this type of vehicle and all the safety protocols .
This is a mature art and many people in the community were concerned about the sub . I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night and many people died as a result."
The UK's foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has paid tribute to the five crew members - including three British citizens - who died on board the Titan sub.
He posted to Twitter:
Tragic news that those on the Titan submersible, including three British citizens, have been lost following an international search operation. The UK government is closely supporting the families affected and expresses our deepest condolences.
Tragic news that those on the Titan submersible, including three British citizens, have been lost following an international search operation.
The UK government is closely supporting the families affected and expresses our deepest condolences.
Paul Hankin, an undersea expert, says rescuers found "five different major pieces of debris that told us that it was the remains of the Titan".
The initial thing we found was the nose cone... then we found a large debris field. Within that large debris field, we found the front end bell of the pressure hull. That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event. Shortly after, we found a second smaller debris field within that debris field. We found the other end of the press hull that.basically comprised of the totality of that pressure chamber... We will do our best to fully map out what's down there.
The initial thing we found was the nose cone... then we found a large debris field. Within that large debris field, we found the front end bell of the pressure hull. That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event.
Shortly after, we found a second smaller debris field within that debris field. We found the other end of the press hull that.basically comprised of the totality of that pressure chamber...
We will do our best to fully map out what's down there.
Asked if the sub could have collided with the Titanic, Carl Hartsville of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution says the wreck lies approximately 1,600 feet from the Titanic.
That area does not have any debris of Titanic, he says.
It is a smooth bottom there. To my knowledge and anything I've seen there's no Titanic wreckage in that area.
The debris found of the Titan sub lies "200 plus metres" from the bow of the Titanic wreck, he says.
It's consistent with the location of last communication for an implosion in the water column. The size of the debris field is consistent with that implosion in the water column.
US Coast Guard officials said the next phase would be to make sure that the families of those crew members on board the Titan sub "have an understanding as fast as we can of what happened and begin to find some closure".
Teams will continue to investigate the site of the debris field, officials said.
Rear Adm Mauger said there were nine vessels on the scene as well as medical personnel and other technicians.
We will begin to demobilise personnel and vessels from the scene over the course of the next 24 hours. But we're going to continue remote operations on the sea floor.
He said he did not have a timeline for when the remote operations on the seafloor would be stopped.
It is too early to know when the "catastrophic implosion" took place, Rear Adm Mauger says.
We know that as we've been prosecuting this search over the course of the last 72 hours. Beyond that, we've had sonar buoys in the water nearly continuously and have not detected any catastrophic events when those buoys have been in the water.
We know that as we've been prosecuting this search over the course of the last 72 hours.
Beyond that, we've had sonar buoys in the water nearly continuously and have not detected any catastrophic events when those buoys have been in the water.
Rear Adm John Mauger says there "doesn't appear to be any connection" between the underwater noises detected in the search-and-rescue mission and the location on the seafloor.
This was a "catastrophic implosion" of the vessel which would have "generated a significant. sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up", he says.
Asked what the prospects are for recovering the bodies of the crew members, Rear Adm John Mauger replies:
We'll continue to work and continue to search the area, but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time.
This is an "incredibly unforgiving environment", he adds.
Rear Adm John Mauger says it is an "incredibly complex" case and that the team is still working to develop the details for the timeline.
The ROVs are operating in a complex environment on the seafloor over two miles beneath the surface, he says.
Rear Adm John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander says a remotely operated vehicle from Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan sub approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the seafloor.
The debris is "consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber", he says.
Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families on behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command. I offer my deepest condolences to the families.
Rear Adm John Mauger says he hopes that this discovery provides some solace to the families of the crew on board the Titan sub during this difficult time.
He says the team have been in close contact with the British and French consuls general to ensure that they are fully apprised.
The US Coast Guard are "grateful for the rapid mobilisation of experts on the undersea search and rescue" and "incredibly grateful for this full spectrum of international assistance that's been provided".
The ROVs will remain on scene and continue to gather information, he says.
Oceangate have released a statement saying that they believe the passengers of the Titan submersible have "sadly been lost," CNN and BBC are reporting.
The statement reads:
We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
Here's the full statement by OceanGate, as reported by the BBC:
We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew. This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission. We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families. This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea. We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.
We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.
We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.
This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea.
We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.
The US Coast Guard is scheduled to hold a briefing in about 15 minutes, where officials will "discuss findings from the Horizon Arctic's ROV on the sea floor near the Titanic", according to a statement.
It comes after the US Coast Guard announced that rescue teams trying to find the missing submersible Titan reported finding a "debris field" within the search area beneath the surface of the Atlantic.
The briefing will be held by Rear Adm John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, and Capt Jamie Frederick, the First Coast Guard District response coordinator.
We will be following it live here.
The "landing frame" and a "rear cover" allegedly included in the "debris field" found in the search for the Titan sub could have been from a previous Titan dive, a spokesperson for the Explorers Club has said.
It comes after rescue expert David Mearns said he was part of a WhatsApp group involving The Explorers Club that said the debris found in the Titan search area was a "landing frame" and a "rear cover" of the missing vessel. These claims have not been confirmed.
Trevor Hale, a spokesperson for the Explorers Club told The Independent that the message that the club's president, Richard Garriot, sent to others in a group was misrepresented.
The co-founder of OceanGate, the company that operates the missing sub, said there may have been an "instantaneous implosion" of the vessel.
Guillermo Söhnlein, who founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush, who is on board the Titan, told BBC News:
I know that our protocol for lost comms is for the pilot to surface the sub. From the beginning I always thought that's probably what Stockton would have done. In which case it becomes very difficult to find the sub because the surface ship wouldn't have known it was coming up and wouldn't have known where to look. My biggest fear through this whole thing watching the operations unfold is that they're floating around on the surface and they're just very difficult to find.
I know that our protocol for lost comms is for the pilot to surface the sub. From the beginning I always thought that's probably what Stockton would have done.
In which case it becomes very difficult to find the sub because the surface ship wouldn't have known it was coming up and wouldn't have known where to look.
My biggest fear through this whole thing watching the operations unfold is that they're floating around on the surface and they're just very difficult to find.
Söhnlein, who was speaking as news of the discovery of a debris field near the Titanic came in, said there was a possibility there had been a catastrophe.
What I do know is regardless of the sub, when you're operating at depth the pressure is so great on any sub that if there is a failure it would be an instantaneous implosion. If that's what happened that's what would have happened four days ago.
A company whose remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found the debris field near the Titanic reportedly said its focus now is on "the families of those on the Titan and for their tragic loss".
Pelagic Research Services earlier confirmed to CNN that its ROV, which was the first to conduct a search for the missing OceanGate sub on the sea floor, found the debris field.
Sky News reported that a statement on the company's website, which has since been deleted, reads:
PRS want to express our full gratitude for the incredible, coordinated rescue response of everyone involved in this search and rescue mission. Our focus right now is on the families of those on the Titan and for their tragic loss.
There has been no official statement regarding any deaths from the US Coast Guard or unified command involved in the search of the missing sub.
An underwater researcher has said the search for the Titan shows the desperate need for more deep-sea technology in the US.
Nick Rotker, from the non-profit research and development company Mitre, said "more robust capability" was needed to be able to cover large areas of ocean.
Rotker said:
The issue is we don't have a lot of capability or systems that can go to the depth this vessel was going to.
Several ROVs are in the North Atlantic waters to search for the missing submersible. One found a debris field near the Titanic wreckage that could be linked to the Titan.
One of the concerns for search teams will be whether, if they find the submersible intact, the oyxgen reserves were sufficient to keep the missing crew alive.
Jamie Pringle, an expert in forensic geosciences at Keele University, in England, told AP that: "The lack of oxygen is key now; even if they find it, they still need to get to the surface and unbolt it."
A rescue expert has told Sky News that the debris found in the Titan search area was a "landing frame" and a "rear cover" of the missing vessel.
David Mearns said he was part of a WhatsApp group involving The Explorers Club and that his information came from the president of the club.
These claims have not been confirmed. More details could emerge in a US Coast Guard press conference scheduled for 3pm ET (7pm GMT).
The latest pictures from the news wires show one of the Royal Air Force planes has landed at St John's international airport in Newfoundland, Canada - bringing with it more search equipment.
One picture showed cargo being unloaded from the plane. Two RAF planes were sent after the British force was asked for assistance in the hunt for the missing Titan submersible.
The disappearance of the submersible will have affected the chances of future research being carried out at the wreck of the Titanic, according to an expert.
David Scott-Beddard, the CEO of Titanic exhibition company White Star Memories Ltd, told CNN that the incident has "without a doubt" impacted opportunities to visit and study the wreckage. He said:
The chances of any future research being carried out on the wreck of Titanic is extremely slim. Probably not in my lifetime.
The Titanic wreck is "one of those unreachable, unattainable things for most of us", he said.
She sits majestically on the sea bed; (it's) incredibly rare for a ship that sunk to be sitting upright.
A rescue expert has said US Coast Guard officials would not "use phrases like debris field unless there's no chance of recovery of the men alive".
David Mearns, who is a friend of two of the men aboard the missing sub - British billionaire Hamish Harding and French sub pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, told Sky News:
A debris field implies there's a break up of the submersible and at that depth, because we know that they lost communications at around 3,300m. so that really indicates what is the worst case scenario which is a catastrophic failure, an implosion.
"The only saving grace" if it was the case of an implosion is that "it would have been immediate", he added.
Literally in milliseconds, and the men would have had no idea what was happening.
A friend of Stockton Rush, who is on board the missing Titan sub, said the OceanGate CEO told him the weather was "very, very bad" in an email the day before the vessel went missing.
Arthur Loibl, 60, said he remained friends with Rush, 61, and another passenger on the missing sub, 77-year-old retired French navy commander Paul-Henri Nargeolet, after he himself travelled on the Titan in 2021.
Loibl told the Washington Post that he had just exchanged emails with Rush on Saturday about possibly seeing each other next year and how the expedition was going.
He said that the weather conditions were very, very bad.
He added that Rush had mentioned that the rough seasonal weather in Newfoundland had worsened conditions for the dives.
Loibl described his experience on a 2021 dive to the Titanic as "a kamikaze operation". The lights were turned off during the 2.5-hour journey to and from the wreckage site, with a fluorescent glow stick providing the only light, he said.
Nobody told you what happened if the sub got lost because you're not thinking of this.
He added that he agreed with some experts who have called for trips to the Titanic wreck to stop.
This way of diving down there has to be stopped forever.
Two Royal Air Force (RAF) plans have taken off to fly to St John's in Canada, carrying specialist equipment and personnel to assist with the international search and rescue effort for the missing Titan submersible.
The C-17 Globemaster and A400M Atlas aircraft departed RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland on Thursday.
The C-17 aircraft will transport "specialist commercial equipment" provided by Channel Islands-based deep water specialists Magellan, a No 10 spokesperson has confirmed.
Sources within the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the RAF received a request overnight for assistance with movement of additional commercial equipment, PA news reported.
The US Coast Guard will hold a press briefing at 3pm local time (8pm UK time) to share its latest findings from the search operation for the Titan sub.
It comes as the Coast Guard said a debris field was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) near the Titanic wreck. Experts within the unified command were evaluating the information, the Coast Guard said.
The US Coast Guard have said a debris field was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) near the Titanic wreck.
Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information, the Coast Guard said in a tweet.
A clip by the ship-tracker MarineTraffic shows the movement of vessels involved in the search and rescue operation of the missing Titan sub in the North Atlantic from Tuesday to Thursday.
A marine geologist has likened the remotely operated vehicles' (ROV) search for the missing Titan sub to "walking around a really big dark ballroom with a flashlight".
Dr Rob Larter, from the British Antarctic Survey, said the two ROVs sent to the search site will only be able to see around five or 10 metres at a time.
The ROVs "only move relatively slowly, just a couple of miles an hour", he told Sky News. He said:
Because they're only relying on their own their own satellites, even if the visibility of the water is relatively good. you're only going to see five or 10 metres at a time. It really is like walking around a really big dark ballroom with a flashlight.
Because they're only relying on their own their own satellites, even if the visibility of the water is relatively good. you're only going to see five or 10 metres at a time.
It really is like walking around a really big dark ballroom with a flashlight.
A Canadian Navy ship carrying a medical team specialising in dive medicine has arrived on scene, according to a Canadian armed forces official.
The ship, which is also carrying a hyperbaric recompression chamber that can hold as many as six people, reached the area of the search operation at 9am local time on Thursday morning, CNN reported, citing an official from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The family of British billionaire Hamish Harding, who is on board the missing Titan, has accused OceanGate of having taken "far too long" to report the sub's disappearance.
Communications between the submersible and the surface vessel, Polar Prince, were lost at about 9.45am local time on Sunday, 1 hour and 45 minutes after starting its descent to the Titanic wreck. But it was not until 5.40pm local time that the US Coast Guard was made aware.
Kathleen Cosnett, a cousin of Harding, told the Telegraph:
It's very frightening. [It] took so long for them to get going to rescue [them], it's far too long. I would have thought three hours would be the bare minimum.
Here are some pictures from the newswires of the headquarters of OceanGate, the company behind the missing Titan sub, in Everett, Washington.
The co-founder of OceanGate, the company that operates the missing sub, has broken his silence to say he believes the five crew members on board Titan have "longer than what most people think".
Guillermo Söhnlein, who founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush, one of the passengers aboard the Titan, said he last spoke to Rush a couple of weeks before the expedition's launch.
In a statement to Insider, Sohnlein, who is no longer involved with the company but remains a minority shareholder, said:
Today will be a critical day in this search and rescue mission, as the sub's life support supplies are starting to run low. I'm certain that Stockton and the rest of the crew realized days ago that the best thing they can do to ensure their rescue is to extend the limits of those supplies by relaxing as much as possible. I firmly believe that the time window available for their rescue is longer than what most people think. I continue to hold out hope for my friend and the rest of the crew.
Today will be a critical day in this search and rescue mission, as the sub's life support supplies are starting to run low.
I'm certain that Stockton and the rest of the crew realized days ago that the best thing they can do to ensure their rescue is to extend the limits of those supplies by relaxing as much as possible. I firmly believe that the time window available for their rescue is longer than what most people think. I continue to hold out hope for my friend and the rest of the crew.
He said he encouraged everyone to "remain hopeful" for getting the missing sub back safely and that he continued to "hold out hope" for his friend and the rest of the crew.
Suleman Dawood, one of the five men missing on the submersible dive to visit the Titanic, has been identified as a university student in Glasgow.
The University of Strathclyde confirmed that Dawood, 19, was one of its students with Strathclyde Business School, and had just completed his first year.
"We are deeply concerned about Suleman, his father and the others involved in this incident," a university spokesperson said.
Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones and we continue to hope for a positive outcome.
Dawood is the son of Shahzada Dawood, 48, a billionaire businessman who lives in Surbiton, south-west London, who is originally from Pakistan but now has British citizenship.
Suleman Dawood has a sister, Alina, and his mother has been named as Christine. The family had been living in Canada for several weeks before the dive.
Earlier this week a family statement described Suleman as a "big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things", who was also keen on Rubik's cubes and playing volleyball.
He had recently graduated from ACS International School Cobham in Surrey.
Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said he was "thrilled and pleased" to have a British submariner involved in the search operation.
Earlier we reported that Downing Street had confirmed that a Royal Navy submariner had joined the search for the missing Titan submersible.
The officer, Lt Cmdr Richard Kantharia, "has significant knowledge of submarine warfare and dived operations and so he will obviously be bringing that experience to the search and rescue team", No 10 said.
Mauger, speaking to Sky News, said he "really appreciate[s] the support from UK submarine force".
The US Coast Guard has provided an update on current weather conditions for search teams looking for the missing sub.
Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard, who is leading the search for Titan, has described the conditions as "favourable" and said crews are "making the most of this weather window and the good conditions".
Rescue teams are continuing to carry out "an active search and rescue operation" for the missing Titan submersible, US Coast Guard officials said.
Rear Adm John Mauger, speaking to Sky News, said teams were making the most of the "favourable" weather conditions. He said:
While we're cognizant of the time, and we've factored in a lot of data and information into the search, this is still an active search and rescue at this point. We're using the equipment that we have on at the bottom of the ROVS to expand our search capabilities.
While we're cognizant of the time, and we've factored in a lot of data and information into the search, this is still an active search and rescue at this point.
We're using the equipment that we have on at the bottom of the ROVS to expand our search capabilities.
Asked when rescuers might consider the situation is "beyond all hope", Mauger said "there is a time and place for that discussion" but that the focus of the unified command team was "on using the capability that we have now on site to locate the people and the submersible".
Here's a look at the main developments of the morning:
Two remotely operated vehicles have been deployed as part of the search effort
According to US coast guard estimates, Titan's 96 hours of breathable oxygen supplies are thought to be exhausted - although these are just estimates and much will depend on measure the passengers have taken to conserve air
Experts say it's still unclear whether the submersible is on the surface on the seabed, and warn "weeks of intense survey" may be required to locate it
A British submariner and equipment from a UK firm will help the search for the missing submersible
According to the US Coast Guard, two remotely operated vehicles have just been deployed in the search effort
Ryan Ramsey, a former Royal Navy submarine captain, has described the current situation as "bleak" as the search-and-rescue operation continues for Titan after oxygen is thought to have run out aboard the submersible.
He told the PA news agency:
The outlook is bleak, that's the only word for it, as this tragic event unfolds and almost the closing stages of where this changes from rescue to a salvage mission. That doesn't mean to say that the current ships and forces deployed won't continue to keep looking. They won't stop for many days, I imagine, but the reality is if you base it off oxygen alone, then they're out of oxygen. Carbon dioxide is also a critical element to it as well as the cold. It would be a miracle if there were survivors from it.
The outlook is bleak, that's the only word for it, as this tragic event unfolds and almost the closing stages of where this changes from rescue to a salvage mission.
That doesn't mean to say that the current ships and forces deployed won't continue to keep looking.
They won't stop for many days, I imagine, but the reality is if you base it off oxygen alone, then they're out of oxygen.
Carbon dioxide is also a critical element to it as well as the cold. It would be a miracle if there were survivors from it.
Update: the ship carrying the Victor 6000 deep-sea robot has arrived at the Titan search zone, according to Ifremer, the state-run French ocean research institute that operates the robot. The research vessel Atalante is first using an echo-sounder to accurately map the seabed in order for the robot's search to be more targeted, Ifremer said.
A British submariner and equipment from a UK firm will help the search for the missing Titan submersible, Downing Street has said.
A No 10 spokesman said: "At the request of US Coastguard, the UK has embedded a Royal Navy submariner to assist the search and rescue effort for the missing submarine.
The officer, Lt Cmdr Richard Kantharia, "has significant knowledge of submarine warfare and dived operations and so he will obviously be bringing that experience to the search and rescue team".
The officer was on exchange with the US navy and has been seconded to the search and rescue team.
A British C-17 aircraft will transport "specialist commercial equipment" provided by Magellan to St John's in Newfoundland to assist with the search-and-rescue effort.
(Via PA)
More on Victor 6000, the French robot that is on its way to help find Titan
The unmanned robot can dive deeper than other equipment now at the site in the North Atlantic and has arms that can be remotely controlled to cut cables or perform other manoeuvres to release a stuck vessel, the machine's operator said.
"Victor is not capable of lifting the submarine up on its own," said Olivier Lefort, the head of naval operations at Ifremer, the state-run French ocean research institute which operates the robot. But he told Reuters the robot could help hook Titan to a ship with the capacity to lift it to the surface.
"Victor is able to do visual exploration with all the video equipment it has. It is also equipped with manipulating arms which could be used to extricate the sub, such as by sectioning cables or things that would be blocking it at the bottom," he said.
Ifremer sent the Atalante ship with its robot at the request of the US navy. "This is the logic of seafarers. Our attitude was: We are close, we have to go," Lefort said.
The robot is operated by a 25-strong crew. "We can work non-stop for up to 72 hours, we don't need to stop at night," he said.
Lefort added:
We don't know what happened. The noises that were heard give us hope the submarine is on the seabed and that people are still alive, but other scenarios are possible. Even if hope is slim, we'll go all the way. (Via Reuters)
We don't know what happened. The noises that were heard give us hope the submarine is on the seabed and that people are still alive, but other scenarios are possible. Even if hope is slim, we'll go all the way.
(Via Reuters)
I've just been listening in to a very useful briefing from the Science Media Centre, in which the speakers were Prof Alistair Greig, professor of marine engineering at University College London, Dr Jamie Pringle, reader in Forensic Geosciences at Keele University and, Dr Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey.
. Asked about the huge size of the search area, Larter said: "We've all seen the reports of these sounds that have been detected, but the fact that the search areas still seems to be so large would seem to indicate that nobody thinks they have confidently been able to locate where those sounds are coming from."
Given the lack of information from the seabed, said Greig, "I'd say we're still pretty much where we were on Monday really, in terms of the search I guess".
. Asked about how long it could take to bring the sub to the surface were it found, Greig said: "I don't know how long it would take but in a normal operating scenario, I think it takes about two hours to get down to depth . and about two hours again [to come up]."
. Asked about his assessment of the chances of a successful rescue mission, Greig said: "I think the key thing is that they can find it . but it's not going to be instantaneous; every step takes time - this is the problem. And we're running out of time."
Pringle said: "There's always hope with these things but you know about the 'golden first 24 hours' - and we're well past that stage. There's always a chance - it's never zero - but I think obviously in the long run, the longer the time that elapses, the lower the chances of success. That's with anything from earthquake survival to searches. When it goes from a rescue to a recovery, I guess the coastguards will make that choice. But that will happen at some point."
Larter said: "It's just a desperate situation. It's kind of unimaginable if people are alive, trapped in a submersible with oxygen supplies running down. It doesn't bear thinking about. An objective assessment of where things are at the moment? It doesn't look good. But I think as Jamie said, you have to try to stay optimistic for as long as possible."
. Asked how long it could take to find Titan, Larter said: "How long is a piece of string? To find an object of this size in 3,800-metre water depth, it potentially could take weeks of intense survey. It very much depends on how tightly the area that has to be searched is defined."
. Asked whether the disappearance of Titan could spell the end of deep sea tourism, Larter said: "I think when people look at it afterwards, this will no doubt trigger an investigation and I think this may prove to be a key moment in thinking about how such activities are regulated in the future. It's clear from the reports I've read that there is a lack of regulation governing what people can put in the water."
Greig added: "I think there are two issues here: there's the regulation issue we've just heard about but there's also the potential customer base - it may put people off wanting to pay to go on these trips."
. Asked if we were any closer to knowing what had gone wrong, Greig said: "I think the only thing we know that went wrong is that they lost communications. Beyond that, we don't know. We're not even sure yet whether it's on the surface or the seabed, which is complicating the search."
Although calculations suggest Titan's 96-hour supply of breathable air is about to run out, experts have emphasised that it is an imprecise estimate and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. It is also not known if they are still alive after the sub disappeared on Sunday morning.
Frank Owen, a submarine search-and-rescue expert, said the oxygen supply figure was a useful "target" for searchers but is only based on a "nominal amount of consumption".
Owen said the diver on board the Titan was likely to be advising passengers to "do anything to reduce your metabolic levels so that you can actually extend this".
Rescuers have rushed more ships and vessels to the site of the disappearance, hoping underwater sounds they detected for a second straight day might help narrow their search in the urgent, international mission.
But many obstacles still remain: from pinpointing the vessel's location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface - assuming it's still intact. And all that has to happen before the passengers' oxygen supply runs out. (Via AP)
A French research vessel carrying a deep-sea diving robot slowed down as it reached the search area for a missing submersible that was exploring the wreck of the Titanic, according to the Marine Traffic app.
Marine Traffic data showed the Atalante had slowed to a speed of 6 nautical knots and was located about 20km to 30km from the Polar Prince vessel, which had carried the missing Titan submersible to waters above the Titanic wreck.
The French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer), which operates the ship, had earlier said that the Atalante would arrive at 0800 GMT after being urgently dispatched from France on Tuesday.
The ship carries the Victor 6000, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) capable of descending to a depth of 6,000 metres.
(Via Reuters and AFP)
Eric Fusil, a submarine expert at the University of Adelaide, has shared some thoughts on what is required to ensure the seaworthiness of submersibles. He writes, in a piece for the Conversation:
For the Titan, fitness for purpose could be summarised by the ability to safely launch from a mothership on the water's surface, operate autonomously down to 4,000m (the approximate depth of the Titanic shipwreck), and resurface for recovery by the mothership after a dive of a few hours .
The Titan is made of a composite carbon fibre-titanium hull. It is extremely complicated to design and structurally assess these materials, compared to metallic material only.
For deep-sea submersibles, minor malfunctions at the surface can pose serious risks at depth. For that reason, many of these vessels have redundancy built into their design, with back-ups in case one or multiple systems fail.
According to Fusil, in practical terms that means having:
a reserve of oxygen (such as while waiting for a rescue party) reliable main power sources and back-up systems another power source (such as hydraulic) in case of power loss - this would help, for example, to release safety leads to get positive buoyancy and rise back to the surface.
Ron Allum, a deep-sea engineer and explorer who designed the Deepsea Challenger vessel James Cameron used to reach Earth's deepest-known point in 2012, told the Guardian:
The Deepsea Challenger was all about redundancy. We had almost three independent systems . backed up on different power supplies. We conducted fire tests. We literally made the batteries burn.
The vessel itself also underwent methodical testing prior to the expedition:
We tested and tested our descent weight. We did it at pressure. We did it hundreds of times, mounted to a forklift. It became almost monotonous.
Dr David Gallo, a deep sea explorer, has stressed that it will take hours to rescue the submersible once it has been found - if indeed it turns out that the repetitive banging noises detected are coming from the lost sub.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain on Thursday, he said:
In this case, the noises are repetitive, every half hour I believe. Three different aircraft heard them in their sensors at the same time and it went on for two days-plus. It's still going on apparently. There's not a lot in the natural world we can think of that would do that every 30-minute cycle. We have to, at this point, assume that that's the submarine and move quickly to that spot, locate it and get robots down there to verify that is where the submarine is. They've got to go fully ready as if that was the sub because it takes a while to locate it and get it up to the surface, it takes hours. (Via PA)
In this case, the noises are repetitive, every half hour I believe. Three different aircraft heard them in their sensors at the same time and it went on for two days-plus.
It's still going on apparently. There's not a lot in the natural world we can think of that would do that every 30-minute cycle.
We have to, at this point, assume that that's the submarine and move quickly to that spot, locate it and get robots down there to verify that is where the submarine is.
They've got to go fully ready as if that was the sub because it takes a while to locate it and get it up to the surface, it takes hours.
(Via PA)
If you're just joining us here is where rescue efforts stand:
Vessels and specialist equipment has been sent from the US, UK, Canada and France to join the search for the Titan in a race against time.
The Polar Prince - the research vessel the Titan was launched from - will remain the command centre for the search, sitting near the Titanic wreck site
Officials are still holding out hope of a rescue even as the vessel nears the theoretical limit of its oxygen supply
The actual oxygen supply in the vessel depends largely on a range of factors, according to experts, such as the breathing rate of those on board, their level of physical activity and whether they remain calm
For more details, we have put together a summary of what we know so far as the search enters its critical phase.
Related: Titanic sub: rescuers intensify search as fears grow over Titan's remaining oxygen supply
Rescue teams searching for the missing Titan submersible saw reason for optimism on Wednesday after they reported hearing underwater noises in the Atlantic.
While stressing that the sounds were "inconclusive" and not confirmation the crew was still alive, the news did raise the question of what happens if the sub is located - and what equipment will be necessary to retrieve it.
As the search enters its critical phase, Jonathan Yerushalmy has taken a look at the vessels and remote operated deep-sea vessels that are being deployed.
Related: Robot subs and an 8km winch: the equipment being deployed in search for Titan
A popular Mexican travel Youtuber, Alan Estrada has recalled his trip down to visit the wreck of the Titanic aboard the Titan submersible.
Estrada told the BBC that everyone who joined on the trip "were fully aware of the risks we were taking".
But I never felt unsafe. I was fully aware of the risks and I knew that if something happened, if there was a failure in those depths and the submersible imploded, we probably wouldn't even notice.
Estrada said he first learned about the tour offers during the pandemic when he was looking for ways to push his channel "to the limits".
As the search for the Titan Submersible enters its fourth day, the President of the Explorers Club, Richard Garriott de Cayeux, is still holding out hope for a good outcome.
In a statement on social media, Garriott de Cayeux thanked the the public for "all your support and hard work" on the effort to find and save the Titan submersible.
He said he believed the efforts so far have "have importantly improved the odds of a positive outcome" to the situation, although he remained critical of authorities for not acting fast enough.
He said the arrival of the Magellan and the use of side-scan sonar will help improve the odds of finding the submersible.
We continue to come together for our friends, their families and the ideals of The Explorers Club, and the cause of safe scientific exploration of extreme environments. There is good cause for hope, and we are making it more hopeful. I thank you! Keep searching!
We continue to come together for our friends, their families and the ideals of The Explorers Club, and the cause of safe scientific exploration of extreme environments.
There is good cause for hope, and we are making it more hopeful.
I thank you! Keep searching!
Dr Glenn Singleman, an extreme medicine expert who has visited the Titanic shipwreck, told the Guardian both lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide buildup are worrying concerns for the people onboard the missing Titan submersible.
The oxygen being supplied inside the vessel was likely being delivered at the regular atmospheric concentration of 21% oxygen, Singleman said:
Every submariner fears fire inside the cabin because if there is fire then carbon monoxide and other toxins are a huge problem very rapidly. That's one of the reasons why it's not common to use higher concentrations of oxygen than in normal air, because by having higher concentrations inside your submersible, you make it more likely that there will be a fire.
Aside from a fire, carbon monoxide should otherwise not be a problem.
A drop in oxygen levels in the air can result in hypoxia, in which bodily tissues become deprived of adequate supply. Oxygen concentrations of 10% and lower can result in loss of consciousness and death.
Singleman said the 96-hour oxygen supply figure would be an approximation based on an average person's oxygen consumption at an average metabolic rate.
You've got no idea how people respond to the stress of a difficult situation - some people can increase their metabolic rate with stress, some people can relax and try to sleep and decrease it.
To prevent carbon dioxide buildup, submersibles are equipped with "scrubbers", usually made of soda lime, which remove CO2 from the air. Singleman said:
The problem is that you get to a saturation point after a while, and you've got to change out the soda lime. CO2 content in air is about 400 parts per million. As it goes up, over 1000[ppm], most people start to get symptomatic, and over 5000, you're very symptomatic - you get hyperventilation, you get a headache, you just feel awful.
The problem is that you get to a saturation point after a while, and you've got to change out the soda lime.
CO2 content in air is about 400 parts per million. As it goes up, over 1000[ppm], most people start to get symptomatic, and over 5000, you're very symptomatic - you get hyperventilation, you get a headache, you just feel awful.
The expedition that the Titan submersible and its crew were undergoing was tremendously risky, according to industry experts and former passengers. The Titan had to withstand the pressure from being almost 4,000 metres (13,100ft) below sea level - the depth at which the Titanic came to rest - and faced the threat of getting lost or losing contact with the surface.
While it is too early to say what happened to the vessel, experts have raised questions over whether all appropriate safety measures were followed.
Stockton Rush, the chief executive and founder of OceanGate, creator of Titan, is among those missing. Rush has decades of engineering experience and has been at the helm of expeditions to the Titanic since 2021 - this was his fifth. OceanGate said there were a number of innovative safety features onboard the Titan.
The potential risks were made clear to passengers. Mike Reiss, who travelled on the Titan last year, told the BBC:
You sign a waiver before you get on that mentions death three different times. They're learning as they go along . things go wrong. I've taken three different dives with this company and you almost always [lose] communication.
The Guardian understands that all standard checks and procedures were followed before the submersible set off on its voyage, but concerns over whether the vessel met industry safety standards have come to light.
If you're just catching up on the situation regarding the lost Titan submersible, read Jonathan Yerulshalmy and Ashifa Kassam's report on the concerns raised over the safety of the vessel:
Related: Titanic submersible: documents reveal multiple concerns raised over safety of vessel
OceanGate CEO and Founder Stockton Rush told a US television network he was aware of the risks involved with diving thousands of metres beneath the oceans surface during an interview in December 2022.
Rush was speaking to CBS Sunday Morning when he said his "biggest fear" was "things that will stop me from being able to get to the surface".
Overhangs, fish nets, entanglement hazards. And, that's just a technique, piloting technique. It's pretty clear - if it's an overhang, don't go under it. If there is a net, don't go near it. So, you can avoid those if you are just slow and steady.
The CEO also said "there's a limit" to how safe it could make the operation despite introducing some procedures.
I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed. Don't get in your car. Don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules.
Recovering the missing Titan submersible and bringing its crew to safety in time using the latest advanced deep-sea rescue equipment would be an extremely difficult task, an expert has said.
Even if Titan is located, a successful rescue would require remote-controlled vehicles (ROVs) capable of allowing operators on the surface a clear view of the submersible's location, any obstacles that may be present and where to attach cables capable of lifting it thousands of metres through the water.
If the Titan and its five-person crew did arrive at the Titanic wreck, they will be located 3,800 metres (12,500ft) below the surface on the seabed - too deep for most ROVs to reach. Only a "tiny percentage of the world's submarines operate that deeply", David Marquet, a former US Navy submarine commander, told CBC.
If you're just joining us and looking to catch up on the technical challenges that face rescuers attempting to reach the sub, read the full report here:
Related: Experts say rescuing Titan submersible 'a very difficult task'
Wendy Rush, who is married to Stockton Rush, Ceo of OceanGate and pilot aboard the Titan submersible, is also a descendent of a couple who lost their lives aboard the famed ship.
The New York Times reports that Rush is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus, two first-class passengers who were aboard the Titanic when it went down in 1912.
The couple were among the Titanic's wealthiest passengers. Isidor and his brother co-owned a Macy's department store.
Survivors reported watching Isidor refuse a seat on a life raft to allow women and children to get on board. Ida chose to remain with him. The scene was recreated in the film dramatisation of the disaster.
Wendy nee Hollings Weil married Stockton Rush in 1986.
She is also the communications director at OceanGate and has personally visited the Titanic wreck three times.
Though authorities and those involved in the hunt for the Titan submersible, the challenges should not be underestimated.
The area of ocean where the vessel is lost is remote and rugged - and the wreck of the Titanic lies roughly 3700m below sea level.
If that is hard to conceptualise, this illustrated video captures the scale of the challenge.
There have been concerns bad weather may hamper the search from the Titan submersible but it looks as if conditions are right for a positive result.
Hello and welcome to the Guardian's live coverage of the search for the submersible vessel Titan that went missing during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic with five people onboard.
The search for the OceanGate Expeditions tourist submersible is entering its fourth day after the vessel was reported overdue on Sunday evening about 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland.
Officials have still said they are hopeful of a rescue despite growing concerns the oxygen supply on board is becoming dangerously low. Equipment from the US, Canada, the UK and France has been brought in to help find the vessel.
Experts have said the search remains a technically challenging task because of the potential for bad weather and the difficulty in locating a small vessel in a vast ocean. So far the search has concentrated around an area where sounds were detected repeating at 30-minute intervals but authorities have said they have been unable to confirm the origin of these sounds.
As of Wednesday night local time remotely operated deep-sea vehicles (ROV), capable of operating down to depths of 6km, were heading to the area to join the search and the US Navy is also sending a heavy-lifting system called Fadoss.
It is understood the vessel had enough oxygen on board for 96 hours, though the true extent of its supply depends on several various including whether the vessel remains powered, the activity of those on board and whether they have remained calm and are able to control their breathing.
Those onboard Titan are believed to be British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, with his 19-year-old son Suleman, who are both British citizens; French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77; and Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions.
We'll bring you updates on the search as they happen.