Five crew members onboard the submersible Titan were probably killed instantly by a "catastrophic implosion" as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic two miles below the surface of the Atlantic, US Coast Guard officials announced yesterday.
A large debris field containing sections of the vessel had been spotted on the seabed earlier in the day by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) scouring the area near the Titanic wreck site 400 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland, officials said at an afternoon press conference in Boston. "The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters.
"We immediately notified the families on behalf of the US Coast Guard and the entire unified command. I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them."
The announcement marked a heartbreaking end to a massive international air and sea search for the sub and its crew. The 6.7-metre (22ft) vessel went missing on Sunday, one hour and 45 minutes into its scheduled 11-hour dive.
Mauger said it was too early to tell exactly when the implosion occurred, but noted that nothing was detected on sonar buoys deployed in the ocean in recent days. "I know there's a lot of questions about why, how, when this happened," he said. "This is an incredibly difficult and dangerous environment to work in out there, but those questions... are going to be the focus of future review."
Esta historia es de la edición June 23, 2023 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 23, 2023 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
First mass 24-hour event to help people put down their phones
Haunted by a pile of unread books? Or taunted by outdoor kit lurking in the cupboard? If you are one of the British adults who spends on average five hours a day looking at screens rather than participating in pastimes, perhaps it's time to join the offline revolution.
No longer the king of bling The staggering fall of rap star Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Brooklyn's grim Metropolitan Detention Center is, for the foreseeable future, home to Puff Daddy, AKA Sean Combs, one of the best-known voices in American entertainment and whose business empire once seemed to know no bounds.
Brandenburg stakes Last-minute push by German far right in key regional election
B jörn Höcke shielded his eyes from the lights as he peered from the stage into the crowds gathered on a square in front of a gothic church in central Cottbus.
'It's guerrilla war' The fire teams facing arson chaos in Amazon
The occupants of the military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil's wild west T survey the hellscape surrounding them.
"The horror of it' Trial of husband and 50 men accused of wife's rape shakes France
On the narrow streets of stone houses with pastel-blue shutters, residents of Mazan were appalled that this picturesque village in Provence was being referred to in the media as \"the village of the rapists\".
West End revival Will a traffic ban lure shoppers back to Oxford Street?
From the rooftop of John Lewis's flagship store, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, laid out the changes planned for Oxford Street below: \"We want a public realm that is world class, green, healthy and safe but also increases footfall in the shops.\"
Live and let fly James Bond chopper firm awaits decision on £1bn deal
The Merlin helicopter sitting on a factory floor in Yeovil is a sight familiar to James Bond aficionados from the climactic shootout of the 2012 film Skyfall.
Mental illness is Britons' biggest health concern, survey finds
Mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as the health issue that is the biggest cause of concern for most Britons, a global survey reveals.
Noise, crime, crowds Rise in tourism stokes tensions in bustling Lake District town
Even on a weekday afternoon at the very tail end of summer, Bowness-onWindermere is bustling with life. Outside the town's pubs and bars, drinkers sip lager and sparkling wine in the warm September sun.
EU's new proposals on youth mobility will put Starmer 'reset' to test
Fresh proposals to allow young people to move between Britain and the EU will be presented to the British government within weeks, in what is seen as a significant early test of Labour's \"reset\" in relations with Brussels.