Oceangate says all five passengers in Titan submersible are believed to be dead

The company operating the missing Titan submersible says all five men on board the vessel are believed to be dead.

The BBC reported a statement from the company which said: “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.”

The statement said: “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

The U.S Coastguard has also confirmed that the debris found today is consistent with a “catastrophic implosion” of the vessel.

This story is being updated.