The daughter of a French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who is believed to have perished in the Titanic submarine tragedy said she still harboured hopes of his rescue shortly before parts of the vessel were found on the Atlantic Ocean floor.
Mr Nargeolet, along with OceanGate CEO and founder Stockton Rush, and Brits Hamish Harding, and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood would have been killed instantly when the Titan submersible imploded.
Hopes of rescuing the five were hanging by a thread until they were dashed completely by the US Coast Guard on Thursday afternoon, who revealed a 'debris field' had been located 1,600 feet from the bow of Titanic.
Prior to the grim discovery, Sidonie Nargeolet, 39, said in a televised interview: "I really hope they will find them all safe.
"I think we have to trust what they are doing and be confident," she said in her home town of La Massana, Andorra.
Previously she said: "If they are not found, it will be very sad for us because we will not see him again.
"What he liked the most was to be in a submarine, (near) the Titanic. He is where he really loved being. I would prefer him (dying) at a place where he is very happy."
Mr Nargeolet, who spent more than 20 years in the French Navy, led several expeditions to the famous shipwreck and was the first person to recover a silver plate from it, during his first dive in 1987.
Now, tributes have been paid to the passengers by the operator OceanGate Expedition, which said: "This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss.
"The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organisations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission."
Questions around safety regulations, though, among other matters, remain unanswered.
