DLnews Staff:

Alive one second, dead the next."

They didn't see death coming.

The "catastrophic implosion" of the mini-submarine Titan, which made its way to the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday, took the five passengers by surprise. "It's like being here for a minute, and then the switch is turned off," analyzes underwater medic Dr. Dale Molé's final seconds aboard the Titan.

The mini-submarine was crushed on Sunday during its dive at a water depth of around 3,800 meters. Molé, former director of underwater medicine and radiation health for the US Navy, knows that the enormous water pressure at this depth (about 300 kilograms per square centimeter) makes death quick and painless.

Underwater medic Dr. Dale Molé says death in an implosion is quick and painless.

Molé explains: "In one millisecond, you're alive, and in the next millisecond, you're dead." In the event of an implosion, the pressure is suddenly discharged inwards, in contrast to an explosion.

Admiral John Mauger confirmed the deaths of the "Titan" occupants in Boston (USA) on Thursday.

US Coast Guard spokesman Admiral John Mauger said Titan's wreckage indicates "a catastrophic depressurization" in the mini-submarine. As reported by CNN, among others, sonar devices are said to have even recorded the implosion of the Titan. This would indicate data from the US Navy. However, the noise was classified as "not definitive," so the search and rescue operation was continued.

Aboard the Titan were dive company CEO Stockton Rush, 61, Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 41, and his son Suleman ( 19).

The Titan featured a pressure chamber surrounded by a carbon fiber cylinder. Dr. Dale Molé says: “The passengers sit in the hyperbaric chamber. It sounds like they reached the bottom of the sea when the pressure caused the boat to implode. And when that happens, it happens suddenly.”

It is still unclear why the pressure chamber ruptured - whether from an impact on the sea floor, a small fire, or an overload of carbon fibers. However, Dr. Molé said, "It sounds like the carbon fiber cylinder gave out, and that resulted in the implosion."

Will the bodies ever be recovered?

Meanwhile, deep-sea expert Paul Hankin said search teams "do not yet have an answer" as to whether the bodies of Titan's passengers will ever be recovered.

Hankin: It's an extremely unforgivable environment down there. The debris is widely scattered. We will continue to work and scan the area down there.”