Titanic explorer and expert who worked on the 1997 blockbuster movie alongside director James Cameron has spoken out after the Titan sub went missing.
A frantic search for OceanGate’s Titan submersible has been launched after the vessel lost all contact with its mothership during an expedition to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday.
Experts have since shared their fears that the sub may have imploded or got stuck in the wreckage as the race against time to rescue five crew members continues.
Now, Parks Stephens, a Titanic explorer who journeyed to the bottom of the Atlantic on several occasions to visit the iconic ship, has spoken out and shared a chilling message.
“No matter what you may read in the coming hours, all that is truly known at this time is that communications with the submersible have been lost and that is unusual enough to warrant the most serious consideration,” the explorer, who worked on James Cameron’s blockbuster movie, said.
“I am most concerned about the souls aboard.”
In a post that followed his statement, Stephens went on to suggest that OceanGate’s latest expedition to Titanic could turn into a “major tragedy.”
“I am declining all interview requests. This is an evolving situation and I want to be respectful to everyone who might be affected by what has the potential to be a major tragedy,” he added.
The update comes as the US Navy and rescue organizations scramble to locate the missing vessel.
“We don’t have equipment onsite that can do a survey of the bottom. There is a lot of debris, so locating it will be difficult. Right now, we’re focused on trying to locate it,” Rear Admiral John Mauger, who is helping coordinate the search, said.
Meanwhile, Titanic expert and oceanographer David Gallo suggested finding the missing sub could be likened to searching for a needle in a haystack.
“Where is it? Is it on the bottom, is it floating, is it mid-water? That is something that has not been determined yet,” he said.
“The water is very deep – two miles plus. It’s like a visit to another planet. It is a sunless, cold environment and high pressure.”
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