Photo is representational and not actually of submarine.
The five passengers on the missing submersible, Titan, are assumed dead after a “catastrophic failure” of the submersible’s exterior. Presumably, the hull of the vehicle was compromised, resulting in the five passengers dying because of the pressure change. While this is certainly not a peaceful way to leave, it was likely quicker than a slow drain of oxygen.
Which now leaves the question: who were the five people involved in the accident?
Stockton Rush:
Rush was the CEO of OceanGate and a self-proclaimed explorer. As a child, he dreamt of being an astronaut. He was quoted in 2018, saying,
“At some point, safety just is pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed. Don’t get in your car, don’t do anything. At some point you’re going to take some risk. And it really is a risk-reward question, I said. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules.”
Hamish Harding:
Harding was a billionaire and a 3-time Guinness World Record holder. Of his records, he has said, “I always wondered how I could get into it. I did not think I could do it. And I didn’t want to do something stupid like setting a record for the number of ping-pong balls bounced in a day, or something like that.”
Shahzada Dawood:
Dawood was part of a prominent Pakistani family and had embarked on this trip with his son, as a Father’s Day present. A statement from the Dawood family said: “In this unfathomable tragedy, we try to find solace in the enduring legacy of humility and humanity that they have left behind and find comfort in the belief that they passed on to the next leg of their spiritual journey hand-in-hand, father and son.”
Suleman Dawood:
Suleman was only 19-years-old. His aunt mentioned that he was “terrified” to take the trip, but was willing to go to celebrate his father/
Paul-Henri Nargeolet:
Nicknamed “Mr. Titanic”, Nargeolet had completed multiple successful dives to inspect the ship. He was 78-years-old.
Sources:
Hamish Harding obituary (thetimes.co.uk)
Inside Titanic Sub Tragedy Victims Shahzada and Suleman Dawood’s Father-Son Bond (msn.com)
All 5 passengers on OceanGate’s missing Titan submersible are dead : NPR
