All passengers are believed to be lost after a desperate dayslong search for a submersible carrying five people that vanished while on a tour of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The 21-foot deep-sea vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after submerging on Sunday morning with a 96-hour oxygen supply. That amount of breathable air was forecast to run out on Thursday morning, according to the United States Coast Guard, which was coordinating the multinational search and rescue efforts.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 23, 2023, 2:00 PM EDT
White House reacts to lost sub, thanks search crews
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration's "hearts go out to the families and the loved ones of those who lost their lives" on the Titan submersible.
"They have been through a tragic ordeal over the past few days and we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers," she said.
She also thanked all parties who participated in search and rescue efforts this week.
"We would also like to thank the United States Coast Guard, our Canadian, British and French partners, and everyone who participated in the search and rescue efforts these past couple of days," Jean-Pierre said. "This whole effort has been a testament to the skill and also the professionalism that the men and women who serve our nation continue to demonstrate, continue to show each and every day."
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Jun 23, 2023, 1:23 PM EDT
Who will be footing the bill for search and rescue? The US taxpayer
When the U.S. Coast Guard decided to launch a search and rescue operation for the missing OceanGate submersible near the Titanic wreckage site, they did so without OceanGate footing the bill, according to officials.
As a matter of Homeland Security policy and the law, the Coast Guard never asks a private company or individual to reimburse the government for the costs associated with search and rescue missions, according to the Coast Guard.
Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, speaks during a press conference updating about the search of the missing OceanGate Expeditions submersible, which is carrying five people to explore the wreck of the sunken Titanic, in Boston, June 22, 2023.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
"The Coast Guard, as a matter of both law and policy, does not seek to recover the costs associated with Search and Rescue from the recipients of those services,” according to a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. "As a matter of law, 46 USC 2110(a)(5) prohibits the Coast Guard from collecting fees for the conduct of SAR operations: The Secretary may not collect a fee or charge under this subsection for any search or rescue service."
-ABC News' Luke Barr
Jun 23, 2023, 10:44 AM EDT
OceanGate co-founder defends development of submersible
OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Söhnlein is coming to the defense of late CEO Stockton Rush, one of those killed in the implosion of Titan, after criticism from director James Cameron, and others, who said the sub's carbon-fiber hull was dangerous.
"In this kind of community, there are completely different opinions and views about how to do things, how to design submersibles, how to engineer them, build them, how to operate in the dives," Söhnlein told the U.K.'s Times Radio on Friday. "But one thing that’s true of me and the other experts, is none of us were involved in the design, engineering, building, testing or even diving of the subs. So it’s impossible for anyone to really speculate from the outside."
Söhnlein co-founded OceanGate in 2009 with Rush and led several dives in the early days of the company. He left OceanGate in 2013, when Rush took over as CEO, but maintained a friendship and spoke to Rush just weeks before the doomed expedition, he said on Facebook.
Cameron, who not only directed the Oscar-winning film "Titanic" but is a prolific ocean explorer, criticized the use of a carbon-fiber hull in the construction of Titan, saying it was only a matter of time before it cracked under the pressure from repeated dives. Rush, in the past, defended its use, saying it had a better strength-to-buoyancy ratio than titanium.
"I was involved in the early phases of the overall development program during our predecessor subs to Titan, and I know from firsthand experience that we were extremely committed to safety and risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture," Söhnlein told Times Radio Friday.
Jun 23, 2023, 10:16 AM EDT
Samad Dawood says loss of brother and nephew is 'heartbreaking,' family is 'devastated'
Samad Dawood, the brother of Shahzada Dawood, one of the passengers who died in the submersible, said losing his brother and nephew, Suleman Dawood, is heartbreaking.
"This is beyond what you could ever imagine in terms of the kind of hardships and struggle that we've had. I think what we've seen is enormous tragedy and devastation and a lot of emotions. Obviously we were hoping to hear some good news about the rescue and them coming back. It was heartbreaking to find out that that's not the case," Samad Dawood told ABC News.
Samad Dawood said his brother had a strong sense of adventure and curiosity about the world.
"He was always the kind of person who has this incredible love for the world," Samad Dawood said.
"He inspired us curiosity. And he was a guy who just wanted to go out there, experience what the world had to offer, even though he he himself pushed himself to do it. So they made adventures to go to Antarctica, to go to Greenland and to go to Africa and go to the rapids," Samad Dawood said.
Shahzada Dawood, left, and his son, Suleman, in this undated photo, were among the five passengers killed when the Titan submersible imploded near the Titanic wreck in June 2023.
Dawood Group
This sense of adventure was passed on to Shahzada Dawood's son, 19-year-old Suleman Dawood, who was also in the submersible. Suleman Dawood had traveled to all seven continents, according to Samad Dawood.
"He was so filled with humbleness and gratitude," Samad Dawood said.
"We're deeply grateful for all the support and the love and the effort that the people have made, working tireless nights being optimistic in giving a sense of hope, giving that transparency to us. But obviously we were devastated as a family ... that we couldn't get them back safe," Samad Dawood said.
-ABC News' Octavio Cadenas, Dr. Jennifer Ashton and Victor Ordonez
