It’s a devastating ending to the loss of the Titan, the missing submersible.

Late this afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the wreckage was discovered in a debris field near the Titanic wreckage. According to CTV News, the debris was found 500 metres from the Titanic wreck and assessed to be from Titan’s external body. Officials said the debris was “consistent with implosion in the water column.”

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger thanked experts and agencies for assisting with the search for the Titan submersible, noting a global response helped in the difficult search for the missing sub. “We’re incredibly grateful for the full spectrum of international assistance that’s been provided,” he said.

OceanGate Inc. issued a statement late this afternoon.

“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. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew,” the statement read.

“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 organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission. We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.”

Early this morning, the United States Coast Guard reported a debris field had been discovered.

The news comes on day four of the race against the clock to find missing submersible Titan and its five passengers.

It’s estimated oxygen was expected to run out from its 96-hour supply as early as 6:30 a.m. Newfoundland time today.

Crews from Canada and the U.S. were still holding out hope to find the lost submersible that vanished Sunday while taking five people on a deep dive down to the wreck of the Titanic. 

Late Wednesday, another key addition was added to the search – the research ship Atalante made its way east to deploy a robotic diving craft capable of descending to the depth of the Titanic wreck.

Horizon Maritime Services and Miawpukek Horizon representatives made a brief statement to media related to the search and rescue of the Titan.

“On this National Indigenous Day, Miawpukek First Nation’s thoughts and prayers are with the rescue team as they continue their efforts to locate the Ocean Gate Submarine that has been lost since Sunday, June 18th, while descending to the wreck of the Titanic.,” said Chief Misel Joe of Miawpukek First Nation. “We pray the five passengers will be found and returned to their families. Hold on to hope for it is powerful; it helps us deal with impossible problems that need a positive outcome.”

On Tuesday, an RCAF plane detected “banging noises” but officials do not know if the sounds are coming from the submersible.

“With respect to the noises specifically, we don’t know what they are, to be frank with you,” Capt. Jamie Frederick of the U.S. Coast Guard told reporters during a press conference in Boston. “We need to have hope. I can’t tell you what the noises are, but what I can tell you is …we’re searching where the noises are.”

The submersible carrying five passengers lost contact with its surface ship the Polar Prince early Sunday morning after leaving St. John’s. The missing vessel was heading to the 1912 wreckage of the Titanic, located about 600 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland. The tours are owned and operated by OceanGate.

The submersible was carrying Hamish Harding, a billionaire and explorer, Paul-Henry (PH) Nargeolet, a French explorer, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, members of a prominent Pakistani family, and OceanGate CEO and Titan pilot Stockton Rush.

NTV is covering the story extensively and will have updates throughout the day, including live reports on NTV Newsday, First Editon and the NTV Evening Newshour.