The US Navy likely detected the “catastrophic implosion” of the Titan submersible soon after it went missing on Sunday.
Five people died, including a billionaire father and son, in the implosion of the vessel near the Titanic wreck.
The discovery of debris from the submersible comes as a senior official in the navy confirmed that an existing secret system designed to pick up audio heard a sound consistent with an “implosion”.
The sound was heard near where the submersible lost communication on Sunday.
While the official said the sound was “not definitive”, the navy said it shared the information “immediately” with the incident commander.
A navy statement said: “This information was considered with the compilation of additional acoustic data provided by other partners and the decision was made to continue our mission as a search and rescue and make every effort to save the lives on board.”
On Thursday, Rear Admiral John Mauger – who led the search – confirmed in a news conference that a remotely operated vehicle had discovered the nose cone of the lost submersible about 487m (1,600ft) from the bow of the Titanic on the seafloor.
Further debris was found nearby, with Rear Admiral Mauger adding: “In consultation with experts from within unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.
“On behalf of US Coast Guard and entire unified command, I offer deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”
Minutes before the news conference, OceanGate – which owned the submersible – released a statement that said: “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.
“Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
Sky’s US correspondent James Matthews – who was at the US Coast Guard’s news conference in Boston – asked Rear Admiral Mauger whether any trace of the passengers had been found.
He replied: “This is an incredibly complex operating environment on the seafloor, over two miles beneath the surface. The remote operating vehicle has been searching, and it is highly capable, and we’ve been able to classify parts of the pressure chamber for the Titan submersible.”
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1:12
‘Why were you worried about Titan?’
When asked about the prospects for recovering crew members, Rear Admiral Mauger warned “it is an incredibly unforgiving environment on the seafloor”.
While the debris is consistent with a “catastrophic implosion” of the vessel, he stressed that it is too early to know when this happened – and underwater robots remain on scene to gather information.
“We’ll continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time,” he told reporters.
Questions remain about Titan’s mechanical and safety issues
It was the outcome that nobody wanted but everyone feared.
As time passed in this search, the prospect of a happy ending diminished.
Coordinators had spoken of hope but throughout they had managed expectations – emphasising the scale of the challenge, calling it “enormously complex”, in an offshore environment they described as “incredibly unforgiving”.
So there was a sense of inevitability about the announcement that debris had been found – the Coastguard news conference on Boston’s harbour side was laced with sorrow, if not surprise.
Questions will continue to be asked about the Titan, its condition and suitability to make the trip.
Mechanical and safety issues remain a big part of this story.
There has been much criticism of the vessel’s structure before, during and after it went missing.
OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan, issued a statement in which it described the five on board as “true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure”. No doubt.
No doubt, either, that in pursuit of adventure, they deserved transport they could count on.
Misplaced trust cost them their lives as they sought a glimpse of the Titanic.
Disasters do tend to attract disaster.
Maritime investigators will consider whether, in the case of the Titan, this was one waiting to happen.
Carl Hartsville, an expert from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, later added that no debris from the Titanic is based in the area.
While there had been speculation in past news conferences that underwater banging noises heard near the site could be linked to Titan, the Coast Guard said there doesn’t appear to be a connection.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said it was “tragic news” that the five men had lost their lives. Billionaire Hamish Harding – as well as businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman – were British citizens.
“The UK government is closely supporting the families affected and expresses our deepest condolences,” he added.
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1:33
‘Two friends of mine are gone’
Earlier on Thursday, it had been announced that a “debris field” had been found at the search site.
David Mearns – a rescue expert who knew two of the five men onboard – had told Sky News that Titan’s landing frame and rear cover had been identified.
Five days have passed since Titan’s passengers embarked on a two-hour dive to see the wreck of the Titanic.
Teams from multiple countries had scoured thousands of square miles looking for the minivan-sized vessel.
On Wednesday, the US Coast Guard had forecast that the vessel’s air supply would run out by 12.08pm UK time today.
Finding the missing submersible in a totally dark environment was likened to discovering a needle in a haystack – and according to experts, even specialist vehicles on the seafloor can only see for a matter of metres.
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Commodore David Russell, a former Royal Navy submariner, told Sky News that the evidence suggests that the Titan’s pressure hull failed – and those onboard would have lost their lives instantaneously.
Mr Harding and Mr Nargeolet were members of The Explorers Club – and in a statement, its president Richard Garriott de Cayeux said “our hearts are broken” by the tragedy.
He thanked those involved in the search and rescue effort, adding: “They were both drawn to explore, like so many of us, and did so in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind.
“We’re heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost. Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.”
At least 40 people have been killed across four states after Hurricane Helene barrelled its way across southeastern US.
Emergency crews are racing to rescue people trapped in flooded homes after Helene struck the coast of Floridaas a highly destructive Category 4 storm.
It generated a massive storm surge, wreaking a trail of destruction extending hundreds of miles north.
Millions are without power in Florida and neighbouring states.
Meanwhile, dozens of people are trapped on the roof of a flooded Tennesseehospital, with a “dangerous rescue operation” under way.
The Unicoi County Hospital is engulfed in “extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water”, according to Tennessee’s Ballad Health.
It said 54 people were relocated to the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital, while seven were in rescue boats.
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“The situation at the hospital is very dangerous and TEMA [The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency] and National Guard resources are engaged in what can only be described as a dangerous rescue operation,” Ballad Health added.
Local official Michael Baker told Sky News people are being moved from the roof “little by little”, describing the flooding as “unprecedented”.
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“We’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.
As of early afternoon, Helene, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, was packing maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) as it slowed over Tennessee and Kentucky, the National Hurricane Center said.
It struck overnight with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) in the rural Big Bend area, the northwestern part of Florida.
The National Hurricane Center said preliminary information shows water levels reached more than 15ft above ground in that region.
US President Joe Biden has approved emergency declaration requests from the governors of several southern states affected by Helene.
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina are being supported by emergency response personnel including search and rescue teams, medical support staff and engineering experts.
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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has said dozens of people are trapped in buildings damaged by the storm, with multiple hospitals in southern Georgia without power.
In western North Carolina, Rutherford County emergency officials have told residents near the Lake Lure Dam to immediately evacuate to higher ground, warning “Dam failure imminent”.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene in the area appears to be greater than the combined damage of Idalia and Hurricane Debby in August. “It’s demoralizing,” he said.
Many stranded in places like Tampa could only be reached by boat, with officials warning the water could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.
More than four million properties are without power across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, according to the logging website, PowerOutage.
Despite Helene’s power, this hurricane season has been more remarkable for its lack of activity.
At the start of the hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November, sea surface temperatures were (and remain) off-the-charts warm.
It’s this ocean heat that fuels tropical storms.
This combined with a developing La Nina phenomenon led the US forecasters to predict 2024 would be a major hurricane season. Between 17 and 24 storms were expected, with eight to 13 developing into hurricanes.
Hurricane Beryl grazed the coast of Jamaica in July as a Category 5 hurricane. It was the earliest storm of that size ever recorded and was seen as a harbinger of the prediction. But, so far at least, it’s failed to materialise.
There have been just six hurricanes so far this year – slightly below average. But why?
It seems to be due to what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic where ocean warming forced the African monsoon further north than usual.
This led to catastrophic flooding in central and west Africa displacing millions, but it also shifted the weather system that usually spawns hurricanes and spins them across the Atlantic.
There’s already abundant evidence our warming oceans and atmosphere are making storms more intense – but predicting where they will occur and how often is never simple – and perhaps getting even harder as our planet gets hotter.
Prior to the hurricane making landfall, officials in Florida begged residents to evacuate. The sheriff’s office in rural Taylor County issued a chilling warning to those who refused to leave.
“Please write your name, birthday, and important information on your arm or leg in a permanent marker so that you can be identified and family notified,” the post on Facebook said.
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0:43
Child and dog rescued from floods
Forecasters now expect the storm to continue weakening across Tennessee and Kentucky.
It is feared heavy rain over the Appalachian Mountains could cause mudslides and flash flooding.
Helene has made landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, with forecasters warning of a “catastrophic” storm surge.
The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Helene struck near the mouth of the Aucilla River in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast at around 11.10pm local time.
High winds, possibly in excess of 140mph (225kph), and flash floods are possible, the weather service said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters one person had died while driving on a motorway when a sign fell on to their car.
“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where, very likely, there’s been additional loss of life. And certainly, there’s going to be loss of property,” Mr DeSantis said.
“You’re going to have people that are going to lose their homes because of this storm. So please keep those folks in mind, keep them in your prayers.”
Two other people are reported to have been killed in a possible tornado in neighbouring south Georgia as the storm approached, the Associated Press reported.
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More than one million homes and businesses were already without power shortly after the hurricane made landfall, according to tracking website poweroutage.
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States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, with hurricane and flash flood warnings in place as far away as south-central Georgia.
Officials pleaded with residents in the path of the storm to heed mandatory evacuation orders or face life-threatening conditions.
The surge caused by the hurricane – the wall of seawater pushed on land by hurricane-force winds – could rise as high as 20ft (6.1m) in some spots, as tall as a two-storey house, Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane centre, said in a video briefing.
“A really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out” in the coastal area, Mr Brennan said, with water capable of destroying buildings and carrying cars pushing inland. Millions of people are under the current flood watch.
Forecasters warned the storm surge could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Apalachee Bay.
‘It’s going to cause a lot of damage’
Residents in the city of Tallahassee told Sky’s US partner NBC News that they stocked up on sandbags, food and supplies, before leaving their homes.
The city’s mayor John Dailey urged people to take the evacuation warnings “extremely seriously”, calling Helene “the biggest storm in the history of the city to hit us head-on”.
Speaking to NBC News on Wednesday, Mr Dailey said though they are “very prepared”, he was also “very nervous, and I hope everyone is nervous”.
He added: “This is a big storm. It is going to cause a lot of damage.”
Jared Miller, sheriff of Wakulla County, went further – calling the storm “not a survivable event for those in coastal or low-lying areas”.
The county has issued a mandatory evacuation order, but one resident, Christine Nazworth from Crawfordville, which is located about 25 miles (40km) from Apalachee Bay, said her family would be sheltering in place.
She said: “I’m prayed up. Lord have mercy on us. And everybody else that might be in its path.”
Leslie Powell, from Quincy, a city a similar distance from Tallahassee, told NBC she was leaving her mobile home to go to a shelter with her eight-month-old baby and six-year-old daughter.
She said simply: “I’m scared. I’ve got a lot of trees around my home, so it’s not safe for me and my kids.”
Helene is expected to remain a full-fledged hurricane as it rolls through the Macon, Georgia, area on Friday, forecasters said.
Sir Keir Starmer is to meet with Donald Trump later tonight.
It is believed to be the first meeting between the current UK prime minister and former – and potentially future – US president.
The pair are set to meet overnight UK time, which is the evening in New York, where Sir Keir is currently located while on a visit to the UN.
David Lammy, the Labour foreign secretary, has met Mr Trump‘s vice presidential candidate, JD Vance.
Speaking to journalists, Sir Keir reiterated he wanted to meet both Mr Trump and Kamala Harris ahead of the November vote.
However, meeting the Democrat is hard due to the “usual diary challenges”.
Sir Keir said: “It’ll be really to establish a relationship between the two of us.
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“I’m a great believer in personal relations on the international stage.
“I think it really matters that you know who your counterpart is in any given country, and know them personally, get to know them face to face.
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“So it’s really along those lines. I won’t go into what we’ll actually discuss, obviously, but that’s the purpose of it, as you’d expect, ahead of the election.”
Asked if a Trump presidency would leave Ukraine exposed, Sir Keir said the nature of the “special relationship” between the UK and US “always sits above whoever holds the particular office”.
“The US people will decide who they want as their president, and we will work with whoever is president,” he added.
“I’m not going to speculate on what any particular issues may be on the other side of the election.”
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Trump said he thought Sir Keir was “very nice”.
He said: “I actually think he’s very nice. He ran a great race, he did very well, it’s very early, he’s very popular.”
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Mr Trump went on to praise Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as well, saying: “I think Nigel is great, I’ve known him for a long time.”
“He had a great election too, picked up a lot of seats, more seats than he was allowed to have actually.
“They acknowledged that he won but for some reason you have a strange system over there, you might win them but you don’t get them.”
This appears to be a misunderstanding of how the UK’s first past the post system for elections chooses MPs – Reform won fewer seats compared to its vote share because it came second in many seats.