The United States Coastguard has announced that the debris found earlier today by search teams was that of the missing OceanGate sub - with those on board believed to "have sadly been lost".
"The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber" of the OceanGate Titan submersible, the US CoastGuard announced in a press conference this evening.
"Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families," officials added.
A statement from OceanGate, per NBC News, also reads: "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."
On Sunday (June 18), it was reported that an underwater vessel - known as Titan - had lost contact with its mothership "Polar Prince" after diving into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean with five people on board.
The expedition, operated by OceanGate, was described as an opportunity to "become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes," and aimed to embark on a 12,500 feet deep dive to see the infamous Titanic wreckage - which sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
However, the sub failed to provide a signal to its Canadian launch ship just an hour and 45 minutes into the journey, which led to operators growing concerned.
Over the last few days, a major search operation - headed by the US Coast Guard as well as OceanGate Expeditions - has been underway to try to recover the vessel. This was made even more critical as initial estimates stated that the submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply.
The desperate search to locate the missing vessel entered a critical stage on Thursday, June 22 as reports stated the oxygen supply would have depleted.
The rescue and search operation - which involves both US and Canadian ships and planes - faced a difficult challenge, as the Titanic wreckage sits at a depth of approximately 12,500 feet on the ocean floor.
According to Reuters, the US Coast Guard got assistance from a French ROV called Victor 6000 on Wednesday (June 21). Victor 6000 can dive to 20,000 feet underwater, which is deeper than other equipment at the site in the North Atlantic.
"Victor is not capable of lifting the submarine up on its own," Olivier Lefort, the head of naval operations at Ifremer said, per the outlet. However, he shared that the craft could help connect Titan to a ship with the capability of lifting it to the surface.
"Victor is able to do visual exploration with all the video equipment it has. It is also equipped with manipulating arms which could be used to extricate the sub, such as by sectioning cables or things that would be blocking it at the bottom," he added.
Additionally, the official Twitter page for the US Coastguard confirmed on Thursday that "the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic has deployed an ROV that had reached the sea floor and began its search for the missing sub."
Several hours later, the US Coastguard confirmed that a "debris field" had been found.
In a tweet, the US Coastguard revealed: "A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information."
Speaking to BBC News, noted rescue expert David Mearns - who personally knows two of the five men onboard - went on to claim that it was the Titan's "landing frame and rear cover" that has been detected.
Mearns went on to express how "two of his friends were gone".
It was also reported that a medical team had arrived at the site of the search.
The five confirmed names on the submersible are CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood.
They are being referred to as the "Titan Five".
Our thoughts are with everybody impacted by this developing situation.
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