Missing Titanic submersible update: All five crew members are dead, says US Coast Guard

Missing Titanic submersible update: All five crew members on the Titanic submersible vessel have perished, confirmed US Coast Guard last Thursday evening, putting an end to frantic search operation. 

Addressing the media, the US Coast Guard said the debris found Thursday near the Titanic wreckage site was from the outside of the submersible that had been missing for the past four days. All five persons on board were dead.

OceanGate, which operates the missing vessel and whose CEO Stockton Rush  was also on board issued a statement saying, “We grieve the loss of life of those aboard".

The 22-foot Titanic submersible vessel was on a dive to the site of the Titanic wreckage when it lost contact with its support ship on Sunday. At that time, it had 96-hour oxygen supply. The submersible was carrying five persons and it disappeared while on a tour of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Those on board were  Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman, and his son Suleman Dawood; Hamish Harding, a British businessman, pilot and space tourist; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver and Titanic expert; and Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of the submersible's Washington-based operator, OceanGate Expeditions.

As per reports published in the New York Times (NYT) on Wednesday, Stockton Rush was married to Wendy Rush, a descendant of two first-class passengers who died when the Titanic sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.

Wendy Rush is a great-great-granddaughter of the retailing magnate Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida. They were among the wealthiest persons who were on the Titanic's maiden voyage when it sank.

As per the report in the New York Times, the tale of Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy's department store and his wife Ida, is recounted in James Cameron's blockbuster movie 'Titanic'.

Underwater noises heard for two days

Rescuers detected underwater noises in the search area on Tuesday and Wednesday. Navy acoustic analysts were also roped in to study the sounds.