OceanGate Expeditions has released a statement confirming that the five people aboard the Titan vessel are presumed dead. This following news that debris reportedly found in the search for the missing submersible, is said to include parts of the vessel’s outside cover.

According to a BBC news report, OceanGate Expeditions, which owns and operates the minivan-sized submersible, said they now believe that “our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.”

Describing the men aboard the Titan as “true explorers”, OceanGate said they all “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,” their statement continued.

Dive expert David Mearns earlier shared that the debris includes “a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible.”

The US Coast Guard earlier said a “debris field” had been found and was being analysed.

READ: The US Coast Guard says debris field has been found near the Titanic during search for submersible

The debris was located by a remote-controlled underwater search vehicle (ROV) near the wreck of the Titanic.

The Titan vessel went missing in a remote area of the North Atlantic on Sunday with a four-day oxygen supply for its crew of five.

Some experts have speculated that it could have suffered a catastrophic implosion as a result of a hull failure.