Days after setting out on a trip in a 22-foot submersible to see the Titanic debris in the North Atlantic Ocean, five men, including one adolescent, were confirmed dead.
The whole crew, including OceanGate's founder and CEO who served as the mission's pilot, was "lost at sea," according to the business that organized the voyage on the Titan submersible to the Titanic. On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard added that wreckage from the ship had been discovered on the ocean floor, "consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber."
The travelers were well-known for their zeal for extreme adventure, ambition to assemble Titanic artifacts, and extravagant wealth. Each passenger aboard the submersible paid $250,000 to ride. The men's relatives had been informed of their deaths, according to the Coast Guard.
These individuals were genuine explorers who had a strong sense of adventure and a strong desire to explore and preserve the waters of the world. In this awful time, our thoughts are with these five souls and every member of their families, said OceanGate in a statement on Thursday.
In a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said he was unsure as to whether the agency will be able to recover the dead.
