UPDATE: A friend of multiple passengers on the sub has confirmed that the debris found is part of the OceanGate ‘Titan’ vessel:
Shortly before noon on the east coast Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard released a significant update in the frantic search for a missing submersible near the wreckage of the ‘Titanic.’
The news was first shared on Twitter by the Coast Guard’s Northeast division in a terse message.
A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information. 1/2
— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) June 22, 2023
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The update comes just hours after the estimated oxygen supply on the submersible ran out this morning. However, with a debris field now discovered, some are wondering whether an implosion of the sub had taken the lives of its passengers much sooner than today.
Blockchain investor Mario Nawfal shared the news as well, opining that the report “confirms” that the ship’s carbon fiber hull “imploded.”
“This confirms what we’ve discussed for 8 hours yesterday: The carbon fibre hull of the submersible IMPLODED, killing everyone onboard instantly,” Nawfal wrote.
“The bad news: Everyone is unfortunately dead. Our hearts go to their friends and family. The ‘good’ news: While this isn’t really good news, it’s a relief, because the implosion means everyone onboard died instantly instead of suffocating slowly over days.”
🚨BREAKING: TITANIC MISSING SUB UPDATE
Debris has been found by The U.S. Coast Guard near Titanic wreckage in the search for the missing submersible.
This confirms what we've discussed for 8 hours yesterday: The carbon fibre hull of the submersible IMPLODED, killing everyone… pic.twitter.com/bYAsUtjchy
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 22, 2023
The Associated Press reports that even if the vessel’s location is pinpointed, bringing it to the surface would be no small task:
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.
Dr. Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey, emphasized the difficulty of even finding something the size of the sub — which is about 22 feet (6.5 meters) long and 9 feet (nearly 3 meters) high.
“You’re talking about totally dark environments,” in which an object several dozen feet away can be missed, he said. “It’s just a needle in a haystack situation unless you’ve got a pretty precise location.”
Five people were aboard the submersible on an expedition costing $250,000 per person. The OceanGate trips travel as deep as 13,000 feet below the surface to tour the wreckage of the ‘Titanic.’
This story is breaking. Stay tuned for more updates.
