大象传媒

It has been confirmed that the voyage of the missing submersible Titan - and the five passengers on board - ended in tragedy. The US Coast Guard announced on Thursday it had recovered debris from what it calls a catastrophic implosion.

The company that owns the submersible, Oceangate, issued a statement, saying its CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet 鈥渉ave sadly been lost鈥�.

Tim Maltin, one of the world's leading Titanic experts told Newsday that at the depth and pressure the sub descended to "the safety cell with the human travellers failed because it's partly carbon fibre and partly titanium."

It seems, he said, that the vessel had "not been tested as rigorously as other subs" that had visited the Titanic wreck. He said that he thought there would now be a "suspension of deep sea tourist diving until regulation can be agreed a an international level."

Undated photo shows OceanGate tourist submersible beginning descent at sea Credit Ocean Gate / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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