Five aboard missing Titanic tourist sub are dead, officials said

In this US Coast Guard handout, a Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina HC-130 Hercules airplane flies over the French research vessel, L'Atalante approximately 900 miles East of Cape Cod during the search for the 21-foot submersible, Titan, June 21, 2023, over the Atlantic Ocean. The unified command is searching for five people after the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince lost contact with their submersible during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic on June 18, 2023. — US Coast Guard via Getty Images/TNS

The five passengers aboard the submersible that vanished on a trip to explore the Titanic in the Atlantic have died, the US Coast Guard said on June 22.

“I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. John W. Mauger said in a news conference. “I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”