The news of the implosion of a deep-sea submersible carrying five people on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic has sparked mixed reactions in Africa and beyond.
The “catastrophic implosion” killed everyone aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, bringing an end to a multinational five-day search for the vessel.
A robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship discovered a debris field from the submersible Titan on Thursday morning.
It was some 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, 2 1/2 miles (4 km) beneath the surface, in a remote corner of the North Atlantic, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters.
“The debris field here is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vehicle,” Mauger said.
The Titan, operated by the U.S.-based company OceanGate Expeditions, had been missing since it lost contact with its surface support ship on Sunday morning about an hour, 45 minutes into what should have been a two-hour dive to the world’s most famous shipwreck.
There were no survivors among the five men aboard the Titan, including the company’s founder and chief executive officer, Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan.
‘OceanGate shouldn’t have been doing what it was doing. I wish I had been more vocal about that.’ Director James Cameron said he wishes he had sounded the alarm earlier about the submersible Titan that imploded on an expedition to the Titanic wreckage https://t.co/3qGkrHnZZz pic.twitter.com/vBiblJHEBt
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 23, 2023
The four others were British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, both British citizens; and French oceanographer and renowned Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who had visited the wreck dozens of times.
All five men aboard the Titan submersible, including OceanGate founder Stockton Rush and renowned French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, were declared dead by the US Coast Guard, after the vessel was in found in pieces from a ‘catastrophic implosion.’ pic.twitter.com/acNmKzehHx
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) June 23, 2023
Many including Africans have been reacting to the disaster on social media with some amazed at the decision to travel deep sea to the Titanic wreck site.
In the wake of the tragic submarine disaster at the Titanic site, it is clear that there are some people who delight in the misfortune of others. These individuals are despicable & their behavior is beneath contempt.
To those who have made jokes or made light of the situation, I… pic.twitter.com/kEnbR0kMA5— 🎩Laird of the Manor🎩 (@LairdOfTheManor) June 23, 2023
The total story of titanic.#Titan #OceanGate #TitanicRescue #ShahzadaDawood #submarinemissing #implosion #titanicsubmarine #RestInPeace #titanicsubmersible #Titanic pic.twitter.com/p3ZfNpaQ8D
— Usman Jutt (@Usmanjutt_09) June 23, 2023
Perhaps, after 111 years, we should all agree that it is time to let the #titanic rest in the deep sea without disturbing the souls of those who perished in the awful incident in 1912….
#Titan #OceanGate #TitanicRescue #ShahzadaDawood #submarinemissing #implosion #IMPLODED… pic.twitter.com/bbehI3OgGy— Rakshitanagar 🇮🇳 (@rakshitanagar28) June 23, 2023
Source: Africafeeds.com
