This expert's two friends were onboard Titan. His ‘worst fears realised as…'

David Mearns, a rescue expert, knew two of the five men onboard Titan- British billionaire Hamish Harding and the French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet. In an emotive interview to Sky News, he said that his "worst fears have now been realised" and he had been praying for a different outcome.

"Two friends of mine are gone," David Mearns said as the US Coast Guard said that a debris field was found at the bottom of the ocean near the Titanic. The critical 96-hour mark also passed when breathable air could have run out for the passengers of the submersible.

Although, it is yet to be confirmed whether the debris is linked to the missing submersible, David Mears cited a WhatsApp message saying that two crucial parts of the system have been detected. The hull is yet to be found, he informed.

Read more: ‘Debris field= break-up of submersible’: Expert's shocking revelations on Titan

Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, former Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy told Sky News that "the nature of the announcement suggests this debris is in some way connected with the Titan".

“There is of course a large debris field around the Titanic - and the various things we've seen retrieved from the Titanic have come from the debris field. It covers several hectares. But I think if this was Titanic debris, the Coast Guard would have made a distinction in the announcement. I think on balance this is probably grim news and suggests the Titan might have imploded under the immense pressure of the seawater while it was on its way down,” he said.