Titanic Sub Latest: Expert Describes Final Moments of Passengers

There are still so many questions surrounding the OceanGate tragedy, but one of the biggest is: What were the last moments like for the passengers on board? British businessman Hamish Harding; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son, Suleman; French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, all died on June 18, when the private submersible imploded during a trip deep into the ocean to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. Now, an expert has offered some insight into what the final moments were probably like. 

According to Spanish submarine expert José Luis Martín, the Titan likely "popped like a balloon" after freefalling for around 3,000 feet due to the rapid change in pressure. He maintains that the freefall probably lasted between 48 and 71 seconds – during which everyone on board likely knew they were doomed. 

During his interview with Spanish newspaper Nius he added: "The starting point is that the submarine is descending without any incident and in a horizontal plane until it reached about 1,700 meters (5,500 feet)."

"At that point, there was an electrical failure. It was left without an engine and without propulsion," he said. This is when communication was lost with the Polar Prince. "The Titan changed position and fell like an arrow vertically, because the 400 kilos of passengers that were in the porthole compromised the submarine."

The expert contends the passengers knew they were doomed. "Imagine the horror, the fear and the agony. It must have been like a horror movie."

He also noted that it was likely pitch black. "In that period of time they are realizing everything. And what's more, in complete darkness," he continued. "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 occur."