After three days filled with suspense and fear over the fate of the five passengers aboard the missing tourist submersible headed to the Titanic wreckage, the company behind the sub, OceanGate, has issued a difficult statement.
While the wide ranging search for the capsule remains ongoing, OceanGate has confirmed they believe the five passengers have "sadly been lost."
A statement released Thursday, hours after the sub's 96 hours of oxygen expired, read: "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."
MORE: Who are the five people missing on the Titanic submersible?
It 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."
Connection to the unregulated deep-sea explorer – for which Elon Musk's dicey satellite internet constellation, Starlink, was used – was lost an hour-and-a-half after it went underwater, along with any way to reach the five passengers on board, pilot (and OceanGate founder and CEO) Stockton Rush, 61, Hamish Harding, 58, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, with his son Suleman, 19.
Update: Both the Harding and Dawood families released statements in the wake of the tragic news.
In a tribute to their "dedicated father," Mr Harding's family said he "lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure," according to SkyNews.
The Dawood family, meanwhile, acknowledged their loss with a post on their foundation's Instagram page. "It with profound grief that we announce the passing of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood," the statement reads, calling them "beloved sons," and continuing "please continue to keep the departed souls and our family in your prayers during this difficult period of mourning." Citing the "untiring efforts" of the rescue operations and the support of loved ones and well-wishers around the world, the statement continues "the immense love and support we receive continues to help us endure this unimaginable loss."
MORE: Shocking details from inside OceanGate submersible revealed as it meets 96-hour oxygen limit
The OceanGate statement further said: "This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.
© Anadolu Agency"We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families."
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It continued: "This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea," before concluding with: "We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time."
© Anadolu AgencyThe devastating confirmation comes shortly after the U.S. Coast Guard revealed that a debris field had been discovered, "roughly 500 meters off of the bow of the Titanic."
© Getty, BackgridIt was later confirmed the debris found was "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," and search crew members subsequently discovered "five different major pieces of debris" that were identified to be parts of the Titan submersible.
© Action Press/Shutterstock"This is a incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor," an official told reporters," adding: "And the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel, and so we'll continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time."
During a press conference following OceanGate's statement, officials revealed that there is an active search for the bodies of the five passengers, though no more press conferences will be held, and updates will be instead provided through the U.S. Coast Guard's Twitter.
