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A “debris field” has been discovered in the search for Titan – with a rescue expert telling Sky News that the missing sub’s landing frame and rear cover have been found.

A remotely operated underwater vehicle on the sea floor made the breakthrough – and the US Coast Guard is evaluating the information ahead of a news conference at 8pm UK time tonight.

David Mearns, a rescue expert who knows two of the five men onboard, has received a WhatsApp message suggesting two crucial parts of the system have been detected – but the hull is yet to be found.

Coast Guard to make statement – follow live updates

Mr Mearns told Sky News: “They don’t use phrases like ‘debris field’ unless there’s no chance of a recovery of the men alive.

“A debris field implies a break-up of the submersible … that really sort of indicates what is the worst-case scenario, which is a catastrophic failure and generally that’s an implosion.

“The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate – literally in milliseconds – and the men wouldn’t have known what was happening.”

Mr Mearns knew British billionaire Hamish Harding and the French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who were on the voyage.

In an emotive interview, he said his “worst fears have now been realised” – and he had been praying for a different outcome.

“Two friends of mine are gone,” Mr Mearns said.

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View inside a submersible

Officials are yet to confirm whether the debris is linked to the missing submersible – but nonetheless, it is a potential breakthrough in an increasingly urgent, round-the-clock rescue effort.

The ROV, which is equipped with cameras and sonar, had successfully managed to reach the sea floor.

Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, former Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, told Sky News that “the nature of the announcement suggests this debris is in some way connected with the Titan”.

He explained: “There is of course a large debris field around the Titanic – and the various things we’ve seen retrieved from the Titanic have come from the debris field. It covers several hectares.

“But I think if this was Titanic debris, the Coast Guard would have made a distinction in the announcement. I think on balance this is probably grim news and suggests the Titan might have imploded under the immense pressure of the seawater while it was on its way down.”

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Rescue search patterns of boats getting into position

Titan had disappeared on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean – 435 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada – during an expedition dive to see the wreck of the Titanic.

Also on Thursday, a deep-sea robot called Victor 6000 headed to the search area. It has remotely controlled arms that can cut cables and perform other manoeuvres to release a stuck vessel, and is able to go deeper than the Titanic itself.

Five men are on board – and alongside Mr Harding and Mr Nargeolet are the British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, alongside OceanGate’s US-based chief executive and founder Stockton Rush.

The US Coast Guard had predicted that the air supply in the vessel would run out at 12.08pm UK time on Thursday.

Ships, planes and underwater craft from multiple countries were deployed to the area with rescuers searching a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean more than twice the size of the US state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 4,020m (13,200ft).

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Zelenskyy ready to accept ceasefire deal – as US to resume intelligence sharing and military aid with Ukraine

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Zelenskyy ready to accept ceasefire deal - as US to resume intelligence sharing and military aid with Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to accept a ceasefire deal – as the US says it has immediately resumed intelligence sharing and military aid with Ukraine.

In a post on Telegram after US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia, Mr Zelenskyy said “the American side understands our arguments” and “accepts our proposals” – and that Kyiv “accepts” the US proposal of a full 30-day ceasefire with Russia.

Ukraine war latest: Ball now in Russia’s court, US says

“I want to thank President Trump for the constructiveness of the conversation between our teams,” he said.

“Today, in the conversation, the American side proposed to take the first step immediately and try to establish a full ceasefire for 30 days, not only concerning rockets, drones, and bombs, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire front line.

“Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, and we are ready to take this step.”

Pic: Saudi Press Agency / Reuters
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to accept the US’ 30-day ceasefire proposal. Pic: Saudi Press Agency / Reuters

‘Ukraine is ready for peace’

The Ukrainian president then said the US “must convince Russia to do this” and that “if the Russians agree – that’s when the silence will work”.

He added: “An important element of today’s conversation is America’s readiness to restore defensive assistance to Ukraine, as well as intelligence support.

“Ukraine is ready for peace. Russia must show whether it is ready to stop the war or continue it.

“The time has come for the full truth. I thank everyone who helps Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, in a joint statement with Kyiv following nine-hour-long talks in Jeddah, the US State Department said it will immediately lift the pause on intelligence-sharing and military aid.

A Ukrainian source told Sky News earlier this month that the US had stopped sharing all intelligence with Kyiv.

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Analysis: A pause in aid for Ukraine

‘Ball is now in Russia’s court’

Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, also told reporters that “the ball is now in Russia’s court” after meeting with the Ukrainian delegation.

After the positive talks, Mr Rubio said “we’re going to take the offer” to Russia, adding: “We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table, Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking, and now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no.

“I hope they’re going to say yes, and if they do then I think we made great progress.”

Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Pic: Reuters
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‘The ball is now in Russia’s court’ to agree to a ceasefire, Marco Rubio (R) said. Pic: Reuters

He then said that while no deadline has been set, he hopes a deal can be reached “as soon as possible” and that “this is serious stuff, this is not Mean Girls, this is not some episode of some television show”.

“The number one goodwill gesture we could see from the Russians is to see the Ukrainian offer and reciprocate it with a yes,” Mr Rubio added.

National security adviser Mike also said added it is “very clear” that Kyiv shares Donald Trump’s vision for peace and says “they share his determination to end the fighting”.

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Over in the US, Mr Trump said that officials will meet with Russia either today or tomorrow and confirmed he would invite Mr Zelenskyy back to the White House.

“We want to get the Ukraine war over with,” the US president said, before saying he hopes to have a total ceasefire in the coming days.

He also told reporters he thinks he will talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week – but warned “it takes two to tango”.

Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump said ‘we want to get the Ukraine war over with’. Pic: Reuters

Last month, Mr Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three” in an Oval Office meeting.

US vice president JD Vance told the Ukrainian president “you should be thanking” Mr Trump “for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” sparking a tense 10-minute back-and-forth.

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From February: What happened when Trump met Zelenskyy?

A press conference with the two leaders and the signing of an agreement was then cancelled.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of US-Ukraine meeting – as Marco Rubio says Kyiv should be ‘prepared to do difficult things’

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of US-Ukraine meeting - as Marco Rubio says Kyiv should be 'prepared to do difficult things'

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of his team having talks with America’s top diplomat on Tuesday.

Mr Zelenskyy will not be at the meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, but Mr Zelenskyy’s team will try to improve relations following his disastrous 28 February visit to Washington, which descended into an Oval Office argument with President Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance.

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center left, meets with Prince Saud bin Mishaal, deputy governor of Saudi Arabia's Mecca region, center right, and Saudi Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday, March 10, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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Mr Zelenskyy with Prince Saud bin Mishaal, and Saudi commerce minister Majid bin Abdullah al Qasabi. Pic: AP

Mr Zelenskyy is due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later on Monday, after the end of the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio is also in Jeddah. He is not due to meet Mr Zelenskyy – but he held talks with Prince Mohammed to discuss Yemen and threats to ships from Houthis, Syria, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

During talks on Tuesday the Ukrainian team will try to convince the US to restore military aid and intelligence that had helped Kyiv since Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Speaking to reporters while travelling to Jeddah, Mr Rubio said if Ukraine and the US reach an understanding acceptable to Mr Trump, that could accelerate his administration’s push to peace talks.

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“What we want to know is, are they interested [in] entering some sort of peace conversation and general outlines of the kinds of things they could consider, recognising that it has been a costly and bloody war for the Ukrainians,” Mr Rubio said.

“They have suffered greatly and their people have suffered greatly. And it’s hard in the aftermath of something like that to even talk about concessions, but that’s the only way this is going to end and prevent more suffering.”

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‘We want Ukraine to be serious’ about peace

He said: “I’m not going to set any conditions on what they have to or need to do. I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are.”

He added: “The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things to end this conflict.”

Meanwhile, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Mr Trump on Monday ahead of the US-Ukraine meeting.

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A Downing Street readout of the call said that Sir Keir told the president that “UK officials had been speaking to Ukraine officials over the weekend and they remain committed to a lasting peace”.

“The prime minister said he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing to be restarted,” the statement said.

“The two leaders also spoke about the economic deal they had discussed at the White House and the prime minister welcomed the detailed conversations that had already happened to move this forward. Both leaders agreed to stay in touch.”

The European Union agreed last week to boost the continent’s defences and free up hundreds of billions of euros for security in response to the Trump administration’s shift in policy towards Ukraine.

A US intelligence official said a pause on sharing US intelligence that can be used for offensive purposes by Ukrainian forces remains in effect.

The official suggested that progress could be made towards reinstating intelligence sharing with Ukraine during the Saudi talks.

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Syria’s government signs breakthrough deal with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces

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Syria's government signs breakthrough deal with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces

Syria’s interim government has signed a deal with the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s oil-rich northeast.

The agreement – which includes a ceasefire and the merging of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) there into the Syrian army – will bring most of the nation under the control of the government.

The government is currently led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, which helped to topple president Bashar al Assad in December.

In this photo released by Syrian state news agency SANA, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, March 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
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Syria’s interim president Ahmad al Sharaa (R) shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, the commander of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Pic: AP

Recent clashes have seen more than 1,000 people killed amid violence between government supporters and those thought to be loyal to the ousted leader.

On Monday, the deal was signed by interim president Ahmad al Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the US-backed SDF.

The deal – to be implemented by the end of the year – would bring all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil fields in the northeast under the central government’s control.

Prisons, where about 9,000 suspected members of the Islamic State group are being held, are also expected to come under government control.

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Syria’s Kurds will gain their “constitutional rights” including using and teaching their language, which were banned for decades under Mr Assad.

Hundreds of thousands of Kurds who were displaced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war will return to their homes.

The deal will also allow all Syrians to be part of the political process, no matter their religion or ethnicity.

Burnt cars remain in the middle of a street following the recent wave of violence between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad, as well as subsequent sectarian attacks, in the town of Jableh, Syria's coastal region, Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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Clashes between government supporters and those loyal to Bashar al Assad have seen more than 1,000 people killed. Pic: AP

The coffin carrying the body of Nawaf Khalil Baytar, who was killed during the recent wave of violence between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad, is carried for burial in Jableh, Syria's coastal region, Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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A coffin carrying the body of Nawaf Khalil Baytar, who was killed during the recent wave of violence. Pic: AP

Syria’s new rulers are struggling to exert their authority across the country and reach political settlements with other minority communities, notably the Druze in southern Syria.

Earlier in the day, the government announced the end of the military operation against insurgents loyal to Mr Assad and his family in the worst fighting since the end of the civil war.

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Surge of violence in Syria explained

The defence ministry’s announcement came after a surprise attack by gunmen from the Alawite community on a police patrol near the port city of Latakia on Thursday spiralled into widespread clashes across Syria’s coastal region.

The Assad family are Alawites.

An abandoned makeshift checkpoint is seen in the middle of an empty street following the recent wave of violence between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad, as well as subsequent sectarian attacks, on the outskirts of Latakia, Syria's coastal region, Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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Pic: AP

A nurse points to bullet holes in a window following the recent wave of violence between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad, as well as subsequent sectarian attacks, at a hospital in the town of Jableh, in Syria's coastal region, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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Pic: AP

Read more from Sky News:
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Zelenskyy in Saudi Arabia ahead of US-Ukraine meeting

Defence ministry spokesperson Colonel Abdel-Ghani said security forces will continue searching for sleeper cells and remnants of the insurgency of former government loyalists.

Though the government’s counter-offensive was able to mostly contain the insurgency, footage surfaced of what appeared to be retaliatory attacks targeting the broader minority Alawite community, an offshoot of Shia Islam whose adherents live mainly in the western coastal region.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said 1,130 people were killed in the clashes, including 830 civilians.

The interim president said the retaliatory attacks against Alawite civilians and mistreatment of prisoners were isolated incidents, and vowed to crack down on the perpetrators as he formed a committee to investigate.

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