The Titanic claims lives of five more victims after 111 years
The Titanic Five were killed instantly when the submersible suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' just 1,600ft from the bow of the wrecked ocean liner, the US Coast Guard announced on Thursday.
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The nail-biting search for the men on the Titan, a 21ft submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions, drew to a devastating close when a remote operated submarine from a Canadian ship found debris on the ocean floor.
Search and rescue officials say the men likely died on Sunday - before military planes using sonar buoys detected what they thought could have been SOS 'banging' sounds in the water.
The victims are OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19.
'The implosion would have generated a significant, broadband sound that the sonar buoys would have picked up,' explained Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard at a press conference today.
It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid $250,000 each to see the famous shipwreck.
In a gut-wrenching blow for their families, experts say there is little prospect of recovering any of their remains.
'This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there. The debris is consistent of a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.. we'll continue to work and search the area down there - but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time,' Paul Hankin, a deep sea expert involved in the search, said.
The RMS Titanic sank in 1912 and more than 1,500 people lost their lives in the tragic incident, which is still remembered today.
The maritime disaster was the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time, and remains the worst peacetime sinking of a cruise ship of all time.
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Rear admiral Mauger confirmed that five parts of the vessel were found approximately 1600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreck
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The debris discovered was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion", he tells a news conference
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The rear admiral says he cannot confirm whether the bodies can be recovered, saying it is an "incredibly unforgiving environment"
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Offering the Coast Guard's deepest condolences to the families, the rear admiral adds: "I can only imagine what this has been like for them"
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Earlier, the vessel operator OceanGate said: "Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time"
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The submersible went missing on Sunday after setting off to explore the wreck of the Titanic