The five people aboard a submersible missing near the Titanic wreck off the coast of North America died in what appears to have been a "catastrophic implosion", a US Coast Guard official says.
The implosion likely occurred near the Titanic shipwreck, where the submersible was headed.
"The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Rear Admiral John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District, told reporters.
"Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of the crew."
An unmanned deep-sea robot deployed from a Canadian ship discovered the wreckage of the Titan on Thursday morning about 488 metres from the bow of the century-old wreck, 4 kilometres below the surface.
Soon after the debris of the vessel was found, OceanGate Expeditions, the US-based company that operated the Titan submersible, released a statement confirming the deaths of the five passengers.
"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," the company said.
"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans."
Key points:
- The deaths were confirmed after debris was found roughly 488 metres from the Titanic
- The Coast Guard said the debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of pressure
- It is still unclear when the implosion occurred