Missing Titanic submersible live updates: Texts show OceanGate CEO dismissed concerns
Five people, including the company CEO, were aboard the sub when it imploded.
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.
Latest headlines:
- RCMP to investigate the deaths aboard Titan sub
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- OceanGate CEO claimed sub was safer than scuba diving, texts show
- OceanGate co-founder defends development of submersible
- Sub's carbon-fiber composite hull was the 'critical failure,' James Cameron says
- Probe seeks answers on why Titanic sub imploded
- Navy likely detected sound of the implosion on Sunday: Official
- All lives believed to be lost: OceanGate
'Debris field' discovered within search area, US Coast Guard says
The U.S. Coast Guard announced via Twitter late Thursday morning that "a debris field was discovered within the search area by" a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) "near the Titanic" wreckage.
"Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information," the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted.
The Coast Guard is set to hold a briefing on the findings from the Horizon Arctic's ROV at 3 p.m. ET.
Crew members could survive for 'hours' after airtank depleted, doctor says
Despite their onboard oxygen tank expected to be depleted sometime Thursday morning, one doctor says they may have more time if the passengers are still alive. He estimates the five people aboard the lost Titanic tourist sub could survive for 10 to 20 hours with air still circulating through the experimental capsule.
Dr. Richard Moon, a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University, said that despite conditions being dire, those aboard the OceanGate Expedition's submersible could extend the oxygen available after its tank is depleted by staying calm and moving as little as possible.
"The actual amount of time that they have is unpredictable, but it's probably less than 24 hours after the final oxygen in the tank is depleted," Moon, director of the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology, told ABC News.
Read more here.
-ABC News' Bill Hutchinson
French ROV enters water in search area
The U.S. Coast Guard announced via Twitter on Thursday morning that a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed by the French vessel L'Atalante has entered the water in the search area.
The U.S. Coast Guard also gave an update on the conditions at sea, saying winds were at 14 mph with gusts up to 19 mph, swells were 4 to 5 feet and the air temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Canadian ROV begins search on sea floor
The U.S. Coast Guard announced via Twitter early Thursday that a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed by the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic has reached the sea floor, beginning its search for the missing submersible.
Meanwhile, the French vessel L'Atalante is preparing its ROV to enter the water in the search area, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
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.
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