Expert claims Titan sub victims realised their fate 48 seconds before implosion

An expert has claimed the victims of the Titan submersible disaster would have known their fate for around 48 seconds before it imploded.

Last month, the OceanGate submersible imploded on a trip to see Titanic remains and killed those onboard - Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.

Spanish engineer and underwater expert José Luis Martín told Spanish outlet NIUS what he thought happened in the seconds before the fatal implosion.

Martín said: "During the controlled immersion of the Titan, there must have been an electrical fault, which left the craft without thrust.

"Without thrust, the weight of the passengers and the pilot (about 400 kilograms), which was focused on the front end close to the view port, would have disrupted the Titan’s longitudinal stability.

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The expert said he believes the deadly malfunction happened at a depth of around 5,500 feet, leading to the point where Titan could not be manoeuvred.

"The Titan changes position and falls like an arrow vertically because the 400 kilos (880 pounds) of passengers that were at the porthole unbalance the submersible," Martín explained.

"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," the expert added, saying the free fall would have took anywhere between 48 and 71 seconds.

He said those on board would have realised what was happening, adding: "In that period of time, they are realising everything. And what’s more, in complete darkness. It’s difficult to get an idea of what they experienced in those moments.

"After those 48 seconds, or one minute, the implosion and instantaneous sudden death occurs."

An investigation into the implosion is ongoing.

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