The US Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that the wreckage found near the Titanic belongs to the Titan submarine, which has been missing since last Sunday when it was conducting a dive to view the wreck.
Rear Admiral John Moog said the wreckage was "consistent with the wreckage of a submarine" and that the families of the four passengers and crew had been notified.
“Following this decision, the families were immediately notified on behalf of the US Coast Guard and the entire Joint Command. My condolences to the families of the victims," Mogg said.
Based on initial impressions, experts believed the submarine had exploded and found five large pieces of the submarine.
According to underwater expert Paul Henken, they found "five large fragments" that they believe are "the remains of Titan." The first thing found was a "nose cone outside the pressure chamber."
"We found the bell from the front of the pressure room, which was the first sign of disaster soon after," he said.
The wreckage of the Titanic was found about 1,500 feet from the Titanic's bow, authorities said, explaining that salvage would be extremely difficult.
The remains of the device were discovered by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) piloted by the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic, and experts later determined that they "are consistent with a catastrophic collapse," a rupture and collapse caused by rising outside pressure.
Minutes before, the organizing company of the expedition OceanGate Expeditions issued a statement indicating that it is highly probable that the five occupants have disappeared.
OceanGate Expeditions expressed its sorrow for the loss of its pilot and CEO Stockton Rush, as well as passengers Shahzada Dawood and her son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The Titan was reported missing Sunday afternoon about 700 kilometers south of St. John, Newfoundland, as it headed toward the site of the iconic cruise ship that sank more than a century ago.
OceanGate Expeditions, a company dedicated to underwater exploration, records the deterioration of the remains and the underwater ecosystem that has flourished in the area with annual trips since 2021.