OceanGate, the firm that organizes Titanic Voyages, has said that they believe all five people aboard the missing submersible have been lost.
In a statement, OceanGate said, “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 statement continued, “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.”
The submersible was lost at sea since Sunday. A massive rescue operation was organised to see if the passengers can be rescued alive. However, all hopes of ever finding them was lost after 96 hours passed. This was the number of hours the oxygen with the crew of five would have lasted them.
This evening the US Coast guard however said they found debris near the Titanic. The crew paid $250,000 each for an opportunity to view the sunken Titanic ship.
The five people who were on the missing Titan submersible are as follows:
- Hamish Harding, 58, a British adventurer who has previously been to space and made multiple trips to the South Pole
- British businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, a member of one of Pakistan’s richest families and a supporter of two charities founded by King Charles
- His son Suleman Dawood, a 19-year-old student
- Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77, a former French Navy diver who has reportedly spent more time at the Titanic wreck than any other explorer and was part of the first expedition to visit it in 1987
- Stockton Rush, 61, the chief executive of OceanGate, the firm that operates the Titanic voyages on the lost submersible
