A doctor has explained what could have happened to the passengers on the Titan submersible when the vessel tragically imploded.
According to Dr Dale Molé, a former Navy doctor, the final moments for the five person crew would have been "quick and painless", with the expert explaining: "It would have been so sudden, that they wouldn't even have known that there was a problem, or what happened to them. It's like being here one minute, and then the switch is turned off. You're alive one millisecond, and the next millisecond you're dead."
Tributes continue to pour in for the five people aboard who sadly lost their lives during the expedition to visit the Titanic wreckage site at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Chief Executive of OceanGate Expeditions, the owners of the Titan submersible, was killed alongside two members of a prominent Pakistani family Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. Hamish Harding, a British adventurer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet also died. The news that no one aboard survived Thursday brought a tragic end to a five-day search for the Titan sub that included an urgent, round the clock operation in a bid to locate the vessel.
Doctor Molé suggests that the crew would not have realised there were issues and would have been none the wiser to what was happening to them, reports the Mirror.
"They would have been ripped to shreds. An implosion is when the wave of pressure is inward, whereas an explosion is when the pressure wave or the shock wave goes out from whatever the source of that is", he explained.
The pressure chamber of the sub, where those aboard were held, was protected by a sealed pod as well as a pressurised gas system.
But the carbon fibre cylinders of the pressure vessel may have gave way, in turn causing the implosion.
The medical expert suggests that the event would have been violent and instant as high pressure water rushed into and flooded the vessel, tearing apart the hull and crushing the five people onboard.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "The pressure hull is the chamber where the occupants reside. It sounds as though they had reached the bottom when the pressure vessel imploded, and usually, when it gives way, it gives way all at once.
"When somebody stands on an empty soda can, it would support your weight, but then if you press on the sides, the can would collapse immediately.
"It's simply where the debris and fragments and everything else goes inward because of a strong external force. In this case, it was the ocean.
"At least at the depth of the Titanic, which is 12,500 feet, the external pressure would be 6,000 lbs per square inch.
"It's that pressure that, if there were a weakness in the hull, would cause the hull to collapse and suddenly creates a shockwave. An implosion can certainly be every bit of destructive as an explosion."
The Titan embarked on its journey to the Titanic wreck on Sunday at 8am. The vessel was then reported overdue on Sunday afternoon around 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
Rescue teams - including ships, planes and other equipment - were rushed in to help locate the vessel.
However, after days of searching, any hope the five aboard were alive was slashed early on Thursday as Titan's 96-hour supply of air was expected to run out.
The Coast Guard later announced that debris has been found around 1,600 feet (488) from the Titanic wreckage site, with conclusions drawn of a tragic implosion.
Tributes to those who lost their life and praise for the search teams who tried to locate and save them have poured in worldwide.
Brit Hamish Harding’s family released a statement, saying: ”He was one of a kind and we adored him... What he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it’s that we lost him doing what he loved.”
The Dawood family thanked rescuers, writing: “Their untiring efforts were a source of strength for us during this time, We are also indebted to our friends, family, colleagues and well-wishers from all over the world who stood by us during our need.”
Longtime friend and colleague of Nargeolet told French media that when contact was lost Sunday, he quickly feared the worst.
“Unfortunately, I thought straight away of an implosion,” diver and retired underwater filmographer Christian Pétron said Friday to broadcaster France-Info. At the depths in which the submersible was operating, the pressure is intense and unforgiving, he noted.
“Obviously, the slightest problem with the hull and its implosion is immediate,” Pétron said.
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