Titanic sub victims realised fate 48 to 71 seconds before death, crowded on top of each other: expert

Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman Dawood died in the tragedy.

In what can only be described as a scene from a horror movie, the five people aboard the ill-fated OceanGate submersible were aware of their impending doom between 48 and 71 seconds before the vessel's catastrophic implosion.

Spanish engineer and underwater expert José Luis Martín shed light on the final moments of the doomed Titan in an interview with Spanish news outlet NIUS, likening the ordeal to a nightmare that unfolded in complete darkness and unimaginable fear.

Martín offered a detailed timeline of events leading up to the tragedy that unfolded on June 18, less than two hours into the submersible's dive to the Titanic shipwreck.

According to his analysis, an electrical fault occurred during the controlled immersion, resulting in the loss of thrust for the craft. As a result, the submersible, unable to maintain its longitudinal stability, began to plummet towards the seafloor at a depth of approximately 5,500 feet.

OceanGate has suspended all exploratory and commercial operations after the tragedy.

With control and safety functions severely compromised, the submersible became uncontrollable and impossible to maneuver. Martín revealed that the emergency lever designed to drop weights and initiate a return to the surface was futile in such a dire situation.

As the submersible hurtled towards the depths of the ocean, the imbalance caused by the weight of the passengers near the viewport exacerbated the already critical situation.

“Everyone rushes and crowds on top of each other. Imagine the horror, the fear, and the agony. It had to be like a horror movie,” Martin describes the ordeal.

During the terrifying free fall that lasted between 48 and 71 seconds, the occupants of the Titan were acutely aware of the severity of their predicament.

“In that period of time, they are realizing everything. And what’s more, in complete darkness. It’s difficult to get an idea of what they experienced in those moments,” Martín wrote.

The rapidly increasing underwater pressure at a depth of around 9,000 feet subjected the sub's carbon-fibre hull to a powerful compression, resulting in structural issues that ultimately led to the vessel's implosion.

“After those 48 seconds, or one minute, the implosion and instantaneous sudden death occurs,” he added.

Read: Titanic sub victims spent final moments in darkness, watching sea creatures pass by

The victims of the tragedy include OceanGate CEO and Titan pilot Stockton Rush, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman Dawood.

The deaths have cast a shadow over OceanGate, leading to the suspension of all exploratory and commercial operations amidst growing criticism of Rush's alleged disregard for safety measures that may have contributed to the accident.