Titan submersible LIVE updates: 8-hour delay to report missing sparks questions

The wife of the man piloting the OceanGate tourist submersible when it imploded during this week's dive to the Titanic wreckage site is a descendant of a wealthy couple who died when the ocean liner sank in 1912.

Archival records show that Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus, The New York Times reported Thursday. Straus was a retailing magnate who co-owned Macy's department store.

Also, social media users rushed to conclude that just as designer of Titanic Thomas Andrews, who sank with the ship, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush also sank with the submersible both at the same spot.

Renowned movie director James Cameron has expressed his regret for not flagging the ‘horrible idea’ to carry out the Titanic wreck exploration using the Titan submersible. In an interview, he said that he found the hull design – a watertight enclosure used to provide protection to the ship or in this case, the vessel – risky.

"I thought it was a horrible idea. I wish I'd spoken up, but I assumed somebody was smarter than me, you know, because I never experimented with that technology, but it just sounded bad on its face," he told Reuters.

Among the five members who were onboard the ill-fated Titan submersible, which had a ‘catastrophic implosion’, French pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet was known as ‘Mr Titanic’. He participated in multiple expeditions to the Titanic wreck and was widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on the site, earning the nickname. 

The 77-year-old had completed dozens of submersible dives to the crash site, leading the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987 after joining the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea.

The desperate search to find the missing Titan submersible turned into a recovery effort Thursday after officials announced that the vessel imploded sometime this week, killing all five aboard, near the Titanic shipwreck. Read more

The five crew members on the missing submersible that was headed to the Titanic died from a “catastrophic implosion” of their vessel.

The US Coast Guard drew that conclusion after examining debris found underwater earlier Thursday by a remotely operated vehicle. The debris was found 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic.

“We immediately notified the families,” Rear Admiral John Mauger said at a briefing in Boston. “On behalf of the US Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences.”

Family of British-Pakistani father and son on Titanic sub express 'profound grief', reports AFP.

Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of businessman Shahzada Dawood, revealed in an interview that her 19-year-old nephew, Suleman, had expressed reluctance and fear about the trip before boarding the Titan vessel off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Read more

A renowned Titanic expert, a world record-holding adventurer, two members of one of Pakistan's wealthiest families and the CEO of the company leading an expedition to the world's most famous shipwreck were killed aboard the Titan submersible when it imploded in the Atlantic Ocean sometime this week.

The US Coast Guard on Thursday said there were no survivors after the catastrophic implosion deep in the North Atlantic.

"He was a passionate explorer -- whatever the terrain -- who lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure," the statement said, describing Harding as a "loving husband and a dedicated father to his two sons".

Questions remain about the eight hours between when the Titan lost communication with the surface and when its Canadian support vessel reported it missing to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The time delay has yet to be explained by the company that owns the submersible, OceanGate Expeditions, AP reports.

A renowned Titanic expert, a world record-holding adventurer, two members of one of Pakistan's wealthiest families and the CEO of the company leading an expedition to the world's most famous shipwreck were killed aboard the Titan submersible when it imploded in the Atlantic Ocean sometime this week. Read in detail

"Titanic" director and renowned deep-sea explorer James Cameron said many warnings were ignored about the safety of the tourist submersible that imploded near the famous shipwreck, killing five people. Read full report here

A catastrophic implosion refers to the collapse or failure of a structure or vessel caused by overwhelming internal pressure. When the pressure within a confined space becomes too much for the structure to bear, it gives way suddenly and forcefully, leading to a catastrophic collapse.

The US Coast Guard officials said during a news conference Thursday that they've notified the families of the crew of the Titan, which has been missing for several days. Debris found during the search for the vessel “is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” said Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District, PTI reported.

A debris field that was found near the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic has been assessed to be from the missing Titan submersible's external body, CNN reported citing sources. The search for the crew capsule of the Titan vessel continues, the report claimed citing a memo. Read more

The Titan submersible went for the expedition on Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, according to the Coast Guard.

As a "debris field" was discovered in the search for Titan, a rescue expert told Sky News that the missing submersible's landing frame and rear cover have been found. The US Coast Guard said that it is evaluating the information.

Nargeolet said she was confident her father, French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, would have managed the situation well.

Search and rescue efforts continue to find the missing Titan submersible. These past deep-sea rescues highlight the challenges in the search operation.

With the news of a debris field being found in the search operation to locate the missing Titan submersible, the US Coast Guard will hold a press conference at 20:00 GMT.

US Coast Guard said Thursday that a debris field was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) near the Titanic. the experts within the unified command are evaluating the information.

The French robot Victor 6000 has two mechanical arms which can carry out extremely delicate manoeuvres such as cutting or removing debris.

A Royal Navy submariner as well as equipment from a UK firm will help the search operation for the missing Titanic submersible, BBC reported

Jamie Pringle, an expert in forensic geosciences at Keele University in the United Kingdom says the first 24 hours are critical in these kinds of rescue operations and that time period has long passed. “So there’s always a chance. It’s never zero. But I think obviously the longer the time elapses, the lower the chance of success,” he said.

Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey, said in London on Thursday that it’s incredibly difficult to find an object the size of the Titan in a totally dark environment. “…it’s not going to be found with active sonar from a surface ship…a towed or autonomous vehicle that’s near the seafloor may help… but even those vehicles can see just a matter of meters.”