By: Puter Kang

Five people who had gone underwater to see the Titanic shipwreck are now considered buried under the sea. People are grieving the loss of the rich and powerful passengers. This may also affect the trust of the company and the exploring of the Titanic.

They went missing on June 18th in a submersible, which is like a submarine but controlled remotely. This submersible was called the Titan. It took passengers to explore the Titanic starting from 2021, operated and organized by a company named OceanGate.

The five people on board were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, top left, British billionaire Hamish Harding, top right, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, bottom left, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman. (Image credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters, Jannicke Mikkelsen/Reuters, HarperCollins France/Reuters, Engro Corp./Reuters)

Several countries took part in the rescue operation, including the US, Canada, and more. They searched against the clock and ended up with nothing, until June 22nd, U.S. coast guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said an ROV (remotely operated vehicle discovered a piece of the Titan.

It was sitting on the seafloor about half a kilometer from the Titanic.

“The debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” he said. An implosion is when something bursts inwards.

The bodies of the passengers, sadly, still have not been found.

It’s not clear when the implosion happened. It’s possible it happened as early as Sunday, when the submersible lost contact with its support vessel, according to a U.S. military official.

“I offer my deepest condolences to the families,” Mauger said. “I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.

At several news conferences, many asked what exactly went wrong and the reasons behind it.

Mauger said an investigation into the situation will soon begin.